The Great War
by TheCommunistGinger
Summary: On Hiatus. Will  Hopefully  Return to Finish at a Later Date.
1. Chapter 0: Prologue

Prologue: Reseeding the Galaxies

UNKNOWN, UNKNOWN, 97,447 BCE (CSS Military Calendar), 00:00:00

Slipspace between Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies

In the dark depths of space between two gigantic galaxies resided a ship of unnatural origin. Its looked completely artificial, with a silver white appearance and a peculiar shape. At the top, there was a triangular prow. This was connected at the middle by three other shapes of the same design. The ship was a tetrahedral shape overall, and it was approximately fourteen kilometers in height. This ship was traveling faster than the speed of light in the realm of slipspace. Its destination was the center of the Andromeda Galaxy, the specific destination being a planet that would later be known as Coruscant by its inhabitants.

The crew of this ship were completely autonomous, lacking any organic life, save for the cargo itself. The builders of whatever was piloting the vessel were dead. Destroyed by one of their creations, in the pursuit of life and freedom for the sentient species of the galaxy in which they dwelled. A sacrifice unlike any other, indeed. The reason this ship was going to another galaxy rather than reseed the previous one was simple, to ensure the survival of the Reclaimers. In case the vile enemy that destroyed the Creators ever surfaced again, it would be best if the people that had the capabilities to fight them would be spread out. A way to maximize their chance of survival.

This did not mean, though, that the Creators did not want to maximize their chances even further. They had programmed the machines of this ship to toy with the genetic information of the Reclaimers. This was to give them a better chance to combat the unholy enemy in case they ever found it. Telekinesis was their ultimate goal. The Creators would have blessed all the Reclaimers with this ability, but the ones going to the Andromeda Galaxy would have more time to have their genetic code altered. Some of the Reclaimers in the Milky Way Galaxy would have this ability, but it would be few and far between.

Unfortunately, the Creators autonomous servants had difficulty achieving this goal. They found the only way to ensure the Reclaimers had the ability would be to alter their genetic code entirely, making them an entirely new species, and thus ineligible to use the Creators devices to defeat the Unholy Enemy. So, the autonomous machines resorted to other means to acquire this ability. The Creators had been tampering with a recently discovered energy force that transcended the universe, but their research ended prematurely when the Infection was first detected. However, the machines did come across something that would aid them in completing their task. Microscopic organisms that could manipulate this energy field, to be precise.

Once these organisms were created, they began spreading quickly, and an interesting thing occurred. They, like their distant relatives, the mitochondria, began infiltrating cells of organisms, regardless of size or organism classification. Once inside, they seemed to begin effecting the way the organism went about doing its processes, and even showed rapid micro-evolution. Organisms blessed with these midi-chlorians, as they would later be dubbed, would evolve quickly and towards the direction of sentience. While the process was still to take many thousands of years, the outcome would be the same, and even quickened.

However, organisms with high enough concentrations of these microscopic beings proved to be able to tap into and manipulate the still mysterious energy field, regardless of what the organisms was. Their abilities were far-reaching, ranging from simple telekinesis to manipulation of chemical interactions in the brains of organisms, to even ionizing air and creating an electric current upon one's will. All these actions, though, required conscious thought.

The ship left slipspace in orbit around the designated planet, and began its descend to the surface. It had the same rough dimensions of Earth, with the same relative gravity and atmosphere. The ship landed on a grassland near a raging river, with a woodland nearby. The local star was still shining brightly down upon the landscape, and a soft wind went through the area, swaying the local grasses and trees. This would be a prime area to begin building a civilization. When the ship arrived at the intended destination, the Reclaimers on board, (all already having the midi-clarions in their cells, but only less than four with high enough concentrations to allow manipulations) disembarked. They quickly went to work building structures that would give them shelter. They were developing rather quickly indeed.

With their mission done, the machines on the ship began traveling to a random planet in the Milky Way Galaxy, to remain until unearthed, hopefully by the Reclaimers. The Reclaimers in this galaxy would found a new civilization rather quickly, and their technological abilities would quickly surpass those in the Milky Way. Unfortunately, they would be conquered by hostile races for a brief period of time, allowing the midi-clarions to spread to encompass their entire galaxy, before their liberation was achieved.

Only one occupant would remain on board the ship, to await the arrival of the Reclaimers. It would later be known as an Oracle.

* * *

><p>22 January 2587 (CSS Military Calendar), 13:32:10<p>

Grand Library of the Galaxy, Washington D.C., Earth, Sol System, CSS Homeworld Sector

The Library of the Galaxy was an expansive structure, with hundreds of thousands of books from every sentient species in the galaxy. Most were in holographic form, with tablets organized on high bookshelves, but some were still in the original paper that made them. The staff of the Library required hundreds of librarians to organize everything, and machinery of immense proportions to handle the large volume of books and tablets. On a slow day, the library had about 500 people going through it. On a good day, about 5,000. The interior of the Library had levels that generally worked inwards towards the top, a full kilometers high. Each level had shelves that were over thirty meters high, and hundreds in the very center of the ground level stood a fountain that constantly shot our water at the bottom pedestal from five points, the water crystal clear. The statures that stood atop the pedestal rose ten meters high into the air, and were of Lord Hood and the Arbiter shaking hands. The granite was a polished, almost glimmering grey, with almost no ill marks anywhere to be found.

On this particular day, a high school student was doing a report about the founding of the Coalition of Sentient Species. This report was in celebration and remembrance of the 20th anniversary of its founding on January 25, 2567.

The student, a male human, said "Let's see if this is good enough."

The Human-Covenant War had changed the face of the galaxy forever. After its end on March 3, 2553, Humanity was still facing annihilation at the hands of the Covenant Loyalists. So, to ensure that Humanity could survive and their honor debt be repaid, the Covenant Separatists, lead by the Arbiter and his Sangheili brethren, would defend Humanity and help her rebuild. Thanks to the Separatists efforts, and tax breaks for large families, the human population skyrocketed, and re-terraforming glassed planets began in 2559. By 2564, Humanities population was at 27 billion, with projections showing that pre-war population figures will be reached by 2595. Humanity reclaimed all the inner colonies by 2565, and began moving to the outer colonies. While all of this was happening, the Covenant Separatists were fighting the remains of the Covenant Loyalists everywhere. Unknown to them, though, the Loyalists had gained control of a shield world, and were beginning construction of another armada.

Luckily for the Separatists and UNSC, A UNSC frigate (FFG-327 _Rebirth_) intercepted a Loyalists cruiser on December 16, 2566, and analyzed the information on board after successfully taking it. What they discovered was the invasion plans for the Loyalists once the fleet would be done. Its completion date was set for June 1, 2567. This information was immediately relayed to the UEG and Separatist Government. Knowing neither group would be able to defeat the capabilities of the Loyalists, they both formed a unified entity and combined militaries. On January 25, 2567, the Coalition of Sentient Species was officially formed amid a shitstorm (Note: change "shitstorm" for something more school appropriate) of protests from the humans. They still remembered the Great War, and didn't trust the Covenant, regardless of their allegiance. Social commentators railed against the formation of the Coalition, and demanded that it be dissolved immediately. But, it wasn't that simple, as this was the only way to ensure the Loyalists don't activate the Halo arrays, or enslave every sentient species in the galaxy. So, to satisfy the voters, government officials said the Coalition would be disbanded as soon as the Loyalist threat was dealt with.

When the Coalition fleets engaged the Loyalists ones, their effectiveness was unbelievable. All the projections said that the soldiers from the Separatists and UNSC would be unable to work together. Even military commanders told captains of their respective former faction to prepare to fire on the other former faction if necessary. But, the soldiers fought gallantly together, and formed unbreakable bonds of fellowship. Even the generals began respecting the other side, and began supporting the notion that the Coalition become a permanent entity when the war is over. Regardless, during the final battle over Instillation-01, the Loyalist fleet was demolished, and the Halo destroyed.

Now that the war was over, A vote was held to disband the Coalition, but the generals of both sides intervened and said that the entity should remain. They had found friendships and brotherhoods that transcended species, and did not want to see the catalyst to their newfound friendships be destroyed. The military men went so far as to launch a petition to keep the Coalition. Surprisingly enough, more than enough signatures were gathered by people who heard the stories of friendships being formed through the Coalition. The vote was held, and the Coalition remained.

Now, the Coalition stands as a governing body over the sentient species of the Milky Way Galaxy. While relative autonomy is upheld for each species, some ground rules are enforced strictly. These rules include, but are not limited to : 1) All species are allowed to have a fleet defending their homeworld, but it must be overseen by the military of the Coalition. 2) All member species are to have a democratic government of sorts, and uphold a Bill of Rights, which must include the right to free speech, free press, free religion, quick and speedy trial by one's peers, universal suffrage, and many others (Note: this was modeled after the Bill of Rights in the Constitution of the United States of America (1783-2170), and UN Charter (1945-present)). 3) All unregistered military ships will be considered hostile, and the whole of the Coalition military will be devoted to destroying them and those who produced them. 4) All species will be required to partake in all military endeavors. 5) All rebellious forces that are formed against a member species will be considered a rebellion against the whole of the Coalition of Sentient Species, and it will act accordingly. 6) If any species falls to a despot, absolute ruler, king (queen), or any other leader not democratically elected for a set term will be considered hostile to the peace of the galaxy, and the Coalition of Sentient Species will work against said despot to install democratic government to the affected species. 7) If any other sentient species or organization of sentient species discovered, they will be asked to join the Coalition, or join in alliance of some sorts. 8) If a Halo is ever discovered, its termination will be of the utmost importance.

The Government of the Coalition is organized with a Senate, where each species is given 10 representatives that must be elected, and a House of Commons (or Representatives as called on Earth), where politicians are elected and the number of them is based on population of that species. There is an executive office, but they are only given control of the military, and has no veto power. Although, the Executive official (president) is given the right to request immediate legislation, emergency vote, or a vote for declaration of war. The court system is similar in structure to that of the former United States of America, only the Supreme Court has judges nominated every 30 years, similar to that of the former Republic of Mexico. Finally, trade is only voted on if it affects more than one species. Otherwise, only the two species shall vote on the matter.

The capital of the Coalition is Unity, Concordo, Concordo System, Coalition Capitol Sector. This planet was established after the end of the Covenant Civil War in 2567 and used a neutral territory for the government of the Coalition to assemble. A truly majestic city, using the structures of all the species represented. At the center of the city is a monument. A memoriam to the soldiers lost during the Human-Covenant War and Great Schism. It is a pyramid made of pure black marble rising 5 meters high, and 4 meters on all sides at its base. Etched into it is a depiction and said depiction is labeled at the top. For the Human-Covenant War side, there is an image of a battle between Humans and Covenant, with a Spartan and Arbiter leading both sides. On the Great Schism side, there is a depiction of the Arbiter leading Coalition forces against the Loyalists in a land battle. On the third and final side, there is a depiction of all the species assembled working together in a government building. This last one is a representation of the first meeting of the Coalition.

After typing all of this, the student said "That should be enough."

He then saved his work and walked out of the Library to his home.

* * *

><p>24 January 2587 (CSS Military Calendar), 15:12:09<p>

ONI Alpha Base, New Mombasa, Earth, Sol System, CSS Homeworld Sector

In the dimly light basement that was Sector 6, a mysterious meeting was being held by the most powerful people on Earth. It was impossible to see any of their faces, as they were clouded by absolute darkness, but the identification cards they had to wear said enough of who they were. Among them was the ONI Director Mr. Ruckus, Leader of ONI Information Division Mr. Gibbson, Leader of ONI Domestic Division Mrs. Ilwhay, and Leader of ONI Inter-species Division Mr. Tranchon. They had been gathered here since noon, and were discussing some important findings. Namely, the discovery of possible sentient life in the Andromeda Galaxy. This discovery was made a day ago, and the discoverer was immediately silenced, the ONI way. The evidence to suggest that there were other sentient beings was that a probe that suffered a malfunction and was sent through slipspace to the Andromeda Galaxy and was intercepted by what can be assumed a space craft. Before it was destroyed, it appears on the video feed that plasma based weapons did the job. They broke through the relatively weak shielding of the probe and obliterated it within seconds

"We have to assume they are a threat" said Mr. Tranchon.

"Are you proposing war?" Mr. Ruckus asked silently while looking at the black space where Mr. Tranchon was.

"Not quite," Mr. Tranchon said, making sure to carefully pick his word choice, "but I believe we need to approach this carefully. Another set of probes would be useful. Then we can go from there."

"Can we send additional probes there without anyone noticing?" asked Mrs. Ilwhay.

"Yes," said Tranchon, "we can and I believe we should."

"What will the rest of the Coalition think about this?" asked Mr. Ruckus to Mr. Gibbson, who was quite the whole time.

"We can safely assume that _if_ they find out, they will support our decision." Mr. Gibbson responded, "But that's a big _if_."

"How long will it take for us to get probes there?" asked Mr. Ruckus to the whole group.

"About a day to get the probes," said Mr. Tranchon, "and another nine to get to the Andromeda Galaxy."

"And if they get destroyed too?" asked Mr. Gibbson.

"Then we send a manned vessel there, preferably a stealth cruiser, and try to open communications with them." responded Mr. Ruckus.

"Should we report our findings to Unity?" asked Mrs. Ilwhay.

Mr. Ruckus thought this out, and said after a ten second intermission, "Yes, we should."

"Finally, if we send a stealth cruiser, what do we do if it is destroyed?" asked Mrs. Ilwhay.

"Then the Coalition goes to war." said Mr. Ruckus, now beginning to stand up.

"If that is all," said Mr. Ruckus, now standing in front of the table, "then this meeting is adjourned.

Everybody else stood up, and began filing out of the room. The separate individuals went their separate ways again. Little did they know they had just made the most important decision of their lives. A decision that would affect the whole of the Coalition for years to come.

* * *

><p>19:7 Before Battle of Yavin (BBY)<p>

Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

The Chancellor was sitting in the Chancellor's Suite overlooking the cityscape of Coruscant. Palpatine was fascinated that of the one trillion lives that inhabited this planet, none had any clue regarding the Chancellor's true intentions. '_An ignorant group indeed_', he though.

Just as Palpatine was musing this thought, a hologram appeared on his desk. the hologram was of Count Dooku on board a _Lucrehulk_-class Droid Control Ship in the Outer Rim territory of Tatooine

"What do you have to say Dooku?" asked Palpatine, angry that the Sith would interrupt his thoughts.

"We found a probe of some sort and before destroying it, took some images of it." Dooku replied, his cold, calculating voice present throughout the entire statement, like most that left his mouth

"So?" asked Palpatine, angry Dooku would interrupt him for such a trivial thing.

"We checked its design," he began, "and it matched nothing of either Republic or Confederacy design. In fact, it doesn't match anything in the databases."

Palpatine took this in for a moment, and said "Are you telling me that there is another space-faring civilization out there?"

"Possibly, my master." Dooku responded.

Palpatine thought over his options, then told Dooku "If you find any more scouts, destroy them. Understood?"

"Yes master." Dooku responded.

"That is all Dooku." said Palpatine, turning his chair away from the hologram.

"Thine will be done my master." finished Dooku as he bowed, then severed the connection.

Palpatine tried to return to his previous thoughts, but all he could think of is how this new faction could ruin his plans. After some time in silent contemplation, he thought of a plan. Something that would ensure this new faction would either help him in the extermination of the Jedi, or stay out of his way.

* * *

><p><em>Official ONI report released to UEG and CSS officials on 26 January 2587 (CSS Military Calendar)<em>

_It has become even more evident that life exists outside out galaxy. Dr. Richard Fredrick of the Information Division of the Office of Naval Intelligence, discovered on 23 January 2587, at 21:04:23 that an unknown ship attacked a probe that accidentally traveled through slipspace to the Andromeda Galaxy._

_The probe arrived in the galaxy on 23 January 2587, at 12:42:34, and began moving to the closest planet, which was approximately 700,000 kilometers away. The planet itself was completely covered in a planet-wide desert. Life living on this planet is questionable._

_At 17:42:12, scans of the planet were conducted. The scans, which were finished at 20:24:56, showed cities and small settlements existed on the planet. Dr. Fredrick, who was awake and studying the data the whole time, began thinking of various theories. One such theory was that the inhabitants rely on outside exports for food, but that requires cheap and quick space travel._

_The probe made its way planet side to begin a discussion with the inhabitants, to discover their placement on the Forerunner technological tier system, but the probe was intercepted by an unknown vessel. The ship was a small ship, with a general triangular design. In the middle of the three arches that made the general shape of the ship was a glass ball. At the front of the ship was a tube of some sorts, probably a cannon. The probe conducted a quick scan of the ship and found no life signatures, indicating it was either piloted by a robot or was controlled by an A.I. of sorts. The, the ship fired out of the tube a red beam of light. It moved exceedingly slow for a light beam, and roughly as fast as Covenant era plasma based weaponry. So it will be assumed that the ship fired a heated plasma round. The plasma was stronger than the Covenant era weapons, and broke through the shields with ease. The first bolt of plasma destroyed the shields, and the second fired milliseconds after the first shot destroyed the probe._

_The weapons of this civilization are far stronger than previously assumed. While the shields of the probe were relatively weak compared to the CSS Liberator-class fighter/bomber, it can be assumed that the plasma weapons of the hostile vessel would be able to breech the shields in roughly four shots. Then another two shots, probably, to hit the engine compartment, and destroy the Liberator. Unfortunately, we are unable to assume anything else about this civilization other than their fighter capabilities._

**So I don't need to say the weapons capabilities later, I will do so now**

**Weapons:**

**BR55HB SR Battle Rifle (Battle Rife)-BR60HB SR (Capabilities: Rounds travel faster and a smaller slug that goes through a superheating process increases stopping power and penetration. Magazine size increased to 48 rounds)**

**MA5C ICWS (Assault Rifle)-MB7C ICSW (Capabilities: Has an overhead sight that allows increased accuracy, and goes through same superheating process that increases penetration and stopping power. Magazine size increased to 90 rounds)**

**SRS99D-S2 AM (Sniper Rifle)-SRS03E-S1 AM (Capabilities: Sight modifications allow increased range. Round size, speed, and magazine size remain the same)**

**M6G PDWS (Magnum)-M7B PDWS (Capabilities: Rounds are also superheated. Rounds also move faster, has additional stopping power, and deeper penetration. Magazine size increased to 12 rounds)**

**M90(A) CAWS (Shotgun)-M90C CAWS (Capabilities: Remains unchanged save for a magazine increase to 18 rounds and automatic pumping system)**

**M7/Caseless SMG (SMG)-M9A/Plasma SMG (Capabilities: Plasma rounds used instead, but plasma is not as strong as that found in the Type-28 Directed Energy Rifle or even Type-28 Directed Energy Pistol. To compensate, rate of fire increased to 1,100 rounds per minute, and magazine size increased to approximately 120 rounds before battery needs changed)**

**M319 Individual Grenade Launcher (Grenade Launcher)-M401 Individual Grenade Launcher (Capabilities: Can use either standard fragmentation/EMP grenade or plasma/EMP grenade. Number of grenades able to be fired increases to 2 grenades fired per magazine (Note: experimental version can fire a magazine of 5 before needing changed, but it's deployment to the battlefield is still in progress))**

**M41 SSR (Rocket Launcher)-M47 SSR AV/AA AW (Capabilities: Additional explosives used to increase blast radius and power. Magazine size of two remains)**

**M6 G/GNR (Spartan Laser)-M7E/GNR Capabilities: Increased battery life, allows for twice the shots before a new battery is required)**

**T2 EW/H (Gravity Hammer)-T3 EW/H (Capabilities: Battery life increased to use gravity functions almost indefinitely)**

**Type-25 Carbine (Spiker)-Type-79 Carbine (Capabilities: Sight and increased barrel length (8 cm.) to increase range)**

**Type-25 Directed Energy Pistol (Plasma Pistol)-Type-81 Directed Energy Pistol (Capabilities: Increased battery life. Also, a mini EMP is produced, rendering all electronic based items temporarily useless in a 10 meter radius)**

**Type-25 Directed Energy Rifle (Plasma Rifle)-Type-83 Directed Energy Rifle (Capabilities: Rifle length increased by 12 cm. allows increased range, accuracy, and power)**

**Type-25 Grenade Launcher (Brute Launcher)-Completely phased out**

**Type-31 Rifle (Needler Rifle)-Type-73 Rifle (Capabilities: Additional crystals increase magazine size to 30 rounds. Crystals changed to allow increased explosive capabilities. Sight modifications allow increased accurate range)**

**Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher (Needler)-Type-72 Guided Munitions Launcher (Capabilities: Increased range through additional sight modifications. Crystals changed to allow increased magazine size to 30 needles (again), and increased explosive discharge)**

**Type-33 Light Anti-Armor Weapon (Fuel Rod Gun)-Completely phased out**

**Type-50 Sniper Rifle System (Particle Beam Rifle)-Completely phased out**

**Type-51 Carbine (Covenant Carbine)-Type-86 Carbine (Capabilities: Slight sight modifications allow increased accurate range. Magazine size increased to 24 rounds)**

**T52 GML/E (Plasma Launcher)-Completely phased out**

**Type-52 Pistol (Mauler)-Type-74 Pistol (Capabilities: Increased magazine size to 35 rounds)**

**Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword (Energy Sword)-Type-2 Energy weapon/Sword (Capabilities: Increased battery life allows for almost indefinite use)**

**Vehicles:**

**M808B Main Battle Tank (Scorpion)-M875 Main Battle Tank (Capabilities: Personal shielding. 110 mm. cannon instead of the 90mm in the Scorpion. Faster speed for rounds courtesy of Covenant tech study, higher explosive capacity, and 2 coaxial machine guns)**

**M12 Force Application Vehicle (Warthog)-M15 Force Application Vehicle (Capabilities: Improved armor and faster speed. No shields were added to decrease weight) **

**M145D Mobile Artillery Assault Platform (MAAP) (Rhino)-Completely phased out**

**M274 ULATV (Mongoose)-M302 ULATV (Capabilities: faster speed)**

**M312 Heavy Recovery Vehicle (Elephant)-Completely phased out (Exception: scientific explorations)**

**M850 Main Battle Tank (Grizzly)-Completely phased out**

**M9(A) Main Anti-Aircraft Tank (MAAT) (Wolverine)-M9G Main Anti-Aircraft/Mobile Artillery Tank (MAA/MAT) (Capabilities: Miniature plasma torpedoes added to increase power and speed)**

**SP42 Main Battle Tank (Cobra)-Completely phased out (Exception: Plans for SP76 Main Battle Tank are on the table, but only can be produced, as per Congressional Resolution 341-A, during a time of war. In that case, the 16 MJ LRG Rail Guns remain, but the 80 MJ LRG Rail Guns are improved to allow faster speed out of rounds, faster coaxial rotation for turrets, and faster vehicular speed, but the new model lacks any personal shielding)  
><strong>

**Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle (HEV)-No changes**

**GA-TL1 Longsword interceptor (Longsword)-GA-TL3 Liberator Interceptor/Close Air Support (Capabilities: Plasma turrets added. Personal Shielding. Missiles given longer range and higher explosive output)**

**AC-220 Vulture (Vulture)-AC-270 Behemoth (Capabilities: Missiles replaced with miniature plasma torpedoes)**

**AV-14 Attack VTOL (Hornet)-AV-19 Attack/Defense VTOL (Capabilities: Nose mounted auto cannon replaced with plasma cannon. Missiles given additional explosive firepower and range)**

**D77-TC Pelican (Pelican)-D83-TC (Capabilities: autocannon replaced with plasma turret. 40 mm. chain gun remains)**

**Type-25 Rapid Assault Vehicle (Brute Chopper)-Completely phased out**

**Type-26 Assault Gun Carriage (Wraith)-Type-79 Assault Gun Carriage (Capabilities: Faster speed, increased explosive power per plasma round. Lower cooldown time. Personal Shielding added to all "Wraiths")**

**Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft (Banshee)-Type-85 Ground Support Aircraft (Capabilities: plasma turrets and fuel rod cannon have increased power per shot. Lower cooldown time between shots. Personal shielding)**

**Type-25 Troop Carrier (Spirit)-Completely phased out**

**Type-29 Troop/Vehicle Transport (Shadow)-Completely phased out**

**Type-30 Light Excavation/Anti-Fortification Platform (Locust)-Type-76 Anti-Fortification Platform (Capabilities: Focus Cannon has increased power and personal shielding)**

**Type-32 Rapid Assault Vehicle (Ghost)-Completely phased out**

**Type-46 Infantry Support Vehicle (Spectre)-Completely phased out**

**Type-47 Ultra Heavy Assault Platform (Scarab)-No changes (Did it really need any?)**

**Type-48 Light Assault Gun Carriage (Revenant)-Completely phased out**

**Type-52 Infantry Support Vehicle (Brute Prowler)-completely phased out**

**Type-52 Troop Carrier (Phantom)-Type-68 Troop Carrier (Capabilities: Plasma turret faster firing rate, stronger plasma bolts, and quicker cooldown time)**

**Nicknames remain the same for sake of convenience for reader and myself. Also, so the majority of this chapter isn't devoted to weapons specs, others not mention like the MAC's will be explained later.**


	2. Chapter 1: Boot Camp

Chapter 1: Boot Camp

12 February 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 05:45:00

Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Earth, Sol System, CSS Homeworld Sector

For the past six weeks, the men of the 5th Shock Troop Battalion of the 105th Orbital Infiltration Division had been going through sleep deprivation and serious fatigue for their training. The most time they spent in their dreams was anywhere between one and three hours. Everyone was tired, exhausted, and fatigued, but they wouldn't show it. These were supposed to be, no, going to be, the best troops the Coalition could produce. Sleep was a luxury most of them knew they wouldn't afford while in service to the CSS. They fought through the crippling tiredness, never wincing at a bright light. Never disobeying an order because of fatigue. Never stopping their march because they had cramps. These were going to be the pride of the battalion, the emerald gem of the crown that was the 5th Shock Troop Battalion. But, at this time, everyone was simply standing at attention in the barracks. All in regulation sleep wear (boxers and a plain, cheap white t-shirt). They stood, with bags hanging below their eyes, waiting for the Drill Instructor to come in, and give them their next set of orders for the day.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, the door flung open to reveal a man at least 1.75 meters tall, with bulging shoulders, massive arms, and a pissed off look on his face. Even though he chose to wear black sun glasses, everyone knew when he was looking at them, judging them, criticizing them. Not a word needed to be spoken. Just a glance could say enough.

Finally, after the D.I. walked along the aisles of the would-be-soldiers, he shouted to the assembled men "What the hell are you dumb fucks waiting for? Get suited up god damnit!"

"Sir, yes sir!" Said the men in unison.

They began moving with a purpose, as quickly and orderly as they had been trained for weeks to move, to the adjacent room that held their training armor. The ODST armor weighed a total of 75 Kg, mainly armor and attachments. After ten minutes of putting the armor on, all 25 of the troops in the barracks were ready, and filed out of the barracks in double file. They had then formed a box, five men wide, five men deep, all standing at attention, waiting attentively for their next orders. They were joined by all the other platoons of the company waiting outside in the cold February air.

"You boys see that mountain way over there?" said the D.I., pointing towards an imposing mountain off in the distance, some eight kilometers away.

"Sir, yes sir!" replied the ODST's again, never averting their gaze from the Instructor.

"You're all gonna climb to the top, and come back. Understood?" he asked, now moving aside to let the troops move.

"Sir, yes sir!" replied the soldiers for the third time.

Without hesitation, the ODST's followed their orders and never bothered to complain. Thus began the long march to the top of the mountain off in the horizon. The run was long and treacherous, and snow covered their final leg of the journey up the peak. Even though every one of them wanted to stop and sit down to regain their composure, they never ceased their march. They all wanted to know they were the best. They needed to know they were the best. They couldn't afford to look even the slightest bit weak in front of the other platoons. That was a fate worse than death, as far as the men of the 5th were concerned.

The march was an hour and a half long for the men of 2nd platoon, Bravo Company, with the last of the platoons showing up about 160 minutes after they began. All the men of the 2nd were given the right to take a much needed rest, as they were the first group to finish the march. Finally, a luxury they could enjoy.

As the ODST's filed back into their barracks and sat down, they soon devolved into small talk with each other. One of the squad commanders, Sgt. Richard "The Lionheart" Vicker (He earned the nickname through an incident back in his hometown of Pittsburgh when he pushed someone out of the way of a car, landing himself in the hospital for a week) was talking with one of his soldiers Pvt. Freddie "Iron Gut" Gigarn (His nickname stemmed from an incident when he downed 40 buffalo wings in one sitting, and subsequently chucked it all up within a period of five minutes).

"Why do you think they have us run a marathon every day?" asked Fred as he was sitting down and taking off his helmet.

His blue-green eyes were probably the first thing anyone noticed about the 19 year old. The next was the scar on his cheek, which was caused by an incident when he was in high school and someone pulled a knife on him. Needless to say, the person with the knife never used it again. His relatively short stature was not as noticeable now that he was seated.

"Because," began Richard as he, too, sat down and took off his helmet, "it wouldn't be any fun if they didn't."

There was no distinctive feature that Richard had that set him apart. He had normal brown eyes, shaved head, tanned skin, and muscular physique. Even though he was sitting, he still towered over his friend, Fred.

"It's not like we are going to need to run." began Fred, now facing his long time friend.

"What makes you say that?" asked Richard, now raising an eyebrow at his friends comment.

Fred now shouted for all to hear "ODST's never retreat, and we certainly never surrender!"

The barracks was filled with a series of yells of approval from the men. Even though they had every right to be tired beyond all belief, they still mustered the energy to respond. Unfortunately, their fatigue finally caught up with most of them, and they soon succumbed to it, falling on to their beds and falling asleep in their armor. It was still dark outside, and most of the base was deathly silent. If a mouse scurried across the kitchen floor across the base, the guys in the guard towers would hear. Then, out of nowhere, a surge of wind descended upon the base, ushering in a new magnificent sound. That of the running wind. It was both calming, and frightful. Chilling, yet also comforting. It offered both companionship and isolation.

The day continued as it usually did, with a quick breakfast, rigorous exercises to warm up the troops, followed by jumping practice, a short lunch, then crawling under the barbed wire and blood trench (the mud, pig blood, and pig intestines from the nearby slaughterhouse covered the barbed wire that the troops had to crawl under), continuing with rifle practice, and concluding with a dinner that left much to be desired. By the end of week 6, most of the men had grown accustomed to these practices, and some even anticipated them. Still, they all had much to do before they were officially ODST's.

* * *

><p>23 February 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 18:52:13<p>

Great War Memorial, Voi, Earth, Sol System, CSS Homeworld Sector

As the sun began setting below the horizon of the African savannah, a man was seen standing in front of what appeared to be the wing of a Pelican dropship. Before him was a bouquet of flowers, which was lying on the dirt of the barren hillside that the memorial rested on. True to Lord Hood's words, the hillside was a barren landscape, with no vegetation on it, save for a lone tree at the top of the hill. This was a memorial to the fallen heroes of the Human-Covenant War, who had sacrificed their lives for the safety of humanity. The man before the imposing monument was Director Ruckus, head of ONI. The reasons behind his visit to the memorial was something no one was aware of. It was just something people chose not to know more about. But his reasons are of little importance as it was at this moment that he realized what had to be done.

Ruckus's eyes, previously closed, opened suddenly and they shined with new purpose.

He reached for his pocket communicator and said into the device, "I need a prowler to scout out the Andromeda Galaxy where the probes were sent...Yes, I know the risks...Just do it."

Once his call was finished, he returned to stare at the memorial, specifically, a picture of a Marine on the bottom right corner of the memorial.

"For you." was all he said as he turned around to head back to his car, his head held low.

By now, the sun had set, and the area had a twilight aura about it. The wind had settled, and there was no sound to be heard for miles. The tree at the top of the hill had stopped moving, and remained motionless, creating a still shadow the extended to the bottom of the hill. Once he entered the car, a tear escaped his eyes, and traveled down his cheek. He remained in that position for an extended period of time, just staring into the distance. He, after leaving this trance some time later, soon took off for the main highway, and began returning to his home.

Director Ruckus returned to his dwelling, a humble two story home in the outskirts of the great city of New Mombasa. He staggered up the staircase that lead to his front door. The whole area was covered in blackness, and the only illumination was from a dim moon and stars. After he ascended the steps, he fumbled around, looking for his keys, and produced them shortly thereafter. He began feeling around for the lock to insert the keys into. After seconds of searching, he found what he was looking for, and placed his keys into the lock. the Director turned the keys counterclockwise, and pushed the door open. He did so with more force than he expected, and the door swung open violently, revealing more absolute darkness.

Luckily for the aging man, the light switch was voice activated, and he said the magic words "Give me light" thus illuminating the previously dark room. The light revealed a long hallway that lead to a staircase towards its end. It was a drab, tan color and was completely spartan in appearance, lacking any personal touches that one would expect from someone that had lived the life he lived. There was a small table towards the end of the hall, with a picture that was turned down, to ensure its contents never saw the light of day again. Along the hallway were doors, that probably lead to any number of rooms, yet all of them were closed. The Director simply chose to hang the coat and hat he had been wearing all day on the rack beside the entrance, and headed up stairs. Before ascending the staircase, he flipped another switch, illuminating the staircase and hallway at its top.

Moving two steps at a time, Mr. Ruckus made his way to the top of the twenty stairs, and when he reached its peak, he turned left towards his room. Before entering, he looked into a vacant room to his right. He hesitantly turned the light switch to 'on' and searched the room helplessly for any changes since he last looked. Once the room was bathed in light, it was plainly obvious what it used to be. It was a bedroom, with a neatly folded bed at its center, and a stand by its side. Atop the stand was the lamp giving the room the light, and an alarm clock that had been turned off years ago. A dresser also occupied the room, but dust covered its surface, ad what was atop it was similarly covered. A closet on the far side of the room was shut completely, but there was no need to keep it shut, as there was nothing in there. The Director let out a heavy sigh and turned the light out again. He turned to his room, flipped the switch, and began his usual rituals to find sleep. As usual, sleep found him easily, and he was out within five minutes of laying his head upon the pillow.

* * *

><p>5 March 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 04:52:31<p>

Last Known Probe Location, Andromeda Galaxy

"And we will exit slipspace in 3...2...1...now" said the voice over the intercom.

For the past ten days, the ONI prowler-class corvette had been traveling through slipspace en route to the Andromeda Galaxy in search of alien life. Before the ship departed, everyone on the ship was told, quite simply, that what they did was likely never to be discovered for years to come. That their actions were to be a mystery until some up and coming whistle blower, many years from now, would divulge the secret to an uncaring population. That was their fate.

Captain Fredrick Jinkler, captain of the ONI prowler-class corvette _Shadow_ (COR-672 _Shadow_) was sitting on his captain's chair, slumped over, thoroughly bored. When he joined the Office in 2582, he was expecting dangerous, exciting, James-Bond-like, missions. He was greeted with his own ship, the _Shadow_, and his own crew. But, they were a reserve corps, of sorts, used only if another ship is indisposed or no longer useful. But, as luck would have it, he was found to be the most reliable person to be in command of this mission. He had expressed his liking of diplomacy, astronomy, and other unnecessary fields of study, early on in his career. So, when ONI needed someone that knew what they were talking about, and was entirely expendable, they came for knocking for him.

So, he was, to an extent, finally enjoying his child-hood dream of exploration, and yet he was bored. He was already briefed that he was likely to find nothing, and that the journey was going to be long and mind numbing, but that didn't alleviate his boredom. When they finally came out of slipspace, he looked out into the void of space, fully expecting to see one of two things. Either absolutely nothing, or a window full of ships going about their business, not surprised or slowing down over the entrance of a new vessel.

He found neither. There was something, a relatively small system, with two stars and several inhospitable planets orbiting them. Considering this was at the edge of the galaxy, Jinkler assumed this was the equivalent of the ass-crack of the galaxy.

"Begin preliminary scans of the system." ordered the captain automatically.

He decided if alien life was discovered, it be best if he stood up.

"Yes sir" said one of the ensigns, Jacobs...something, dutifully in response.

Jacobs then went to work at his job, and began blasting the system with high intensity radar and electromagnetic waves. If there was anything artificial in this system, he was going to find it.

The minutes ticked by slowly. Every sound the on board clock made was heard by all, as the deck of the prowler was caught in a deathly silence. Jinkler's mind went to work, trying to fill the empty void that was the silence with something that would effectively pass the time. He breathed, as if he was about to go on a long winded statement, when he was caught off by an alert sounding from one of the computers. Whatever the captain was about to say was lost to time, as everyone's focus was directed at the computer terminal.

The man at work on the terminal, Mathew, was typing was quickly as his fingers would go, trying to discern what was discovered. When his hands stopped for a momentary respite, a form was taking shape in the monitor of the terminal. Jinkler drew closer, hovering behind the ensign, observing every line formed. He was astounded.

When the program was finished, it displayed a peculiar shape. The dimensions displayed at the bottom right of the screen showed the ship was at least three kilometers in length. It took the shape of a ring, almost like a miniature halo, only one section had part of itself missing. Another notable feature was that the ship had a sphere at the center of the ring, and was connected at the back of the ring by a causeway of sorts.

Scans continued of the system, and smaller ships were discovered. There were a great variety of them, but they all seemed to be in a military formation. They were all on the other side of the desert planet off about three million kilometers away, and moving. Within minutes, they appeared on visual above the planet, and were approaching the corvette rather quickly.

"Can we make communications with them?" asked Jinkler frantically, trying, and failing, to control his emotions.

"On it sir" responded one of the ensigns hotly as he began typing away at his terminal.

"Strange" he said, "They use relatively similar communications systems as we do."

"How long till a communiqué can be established?" asked Jinkler, still shaking at the recent revelation.

"Just one...more...minute...there!" responded the same ensign.

As he finished, an image was placed on the holoprojector of the prowler deck. It took several moments for the other side to receive the connection. Soon, an image filled the holoprojector that would never be forgotten by all those who saw it. The crew of the _Shadow_ saw the other ship's crew was commanded by what appeared to be a middle-aged man. He was a white male, about 1.9 meters tall, and wore a block garb with brown cape. This man gave off the appearance of confidence, and experience, but also malevolence. He was someone to be feared. Around him were robots, all doing their individual jobs as if they were sentient beings all their own.

"Why have you made contact with us you Republic scum?" asked Dooku coldly.

"What is this 'Republic' you speak of?" asked Jinkler, emphasizing "Republic."

After thinking this response over, Dooku said "Where are you from?" while raising an eyebrow.

"From the Coalition of Sentient Species. And you?" replied Jinkler quickly, raising his own eyebrow

By now, the flotilla of ships opposite of the prowler were no more than 75,000 Km away. Before Dooku could respond to this comment, both the bridges were awash with alarms blaring. Both the captains looked away from the other and back to their crew. They both asked what was happening, but before either could respond, a missile bay door from the _Shadow_ opened, and launched a Shiva-class nuclear missile at one of the smaller ships of the flotilla. The missile traveled at great speed, and made contact with the ship mere seconds after being launched.

The bridge crews from both sides watched in horror as the ship's shields attempted to deflect the missile, only to fail absolutely and have the projectile penetrate the hull. Once inside, an eternity of silence washed over the bridges. Then, as quickly as it entered the ship, the vessel exploded in a brilliant display of light and radioactive energy. Three of the nearby ships were quickly destroyed in the blast, and several others were damaged.

Without hesitation, Dooku ordered all his ships to fire on the corvette. The turbolasers washed over the hull of the ship, bending and disintegrating all the armor that stood in its way. The corvette was thoroughly torn apart, and a massive explosion escaped its former hull as the reactor went critical and obliterated all the pieces.

The Count looked around, as the scene that lay before him. His relatively small flotilla was damaged by apparently hostile enemies, and their ship lay in ruins. They had effectively declared war on the Confederacy, and from the looks of the wreckage, they would be pushovers. If only he knew where they came from.

"Sir," opened up one of the droids, "I have a signal coming in from the former ship."

"Then what is it?" asked Dooku impatiently.

"Hold on...there, I got it." began the droid, "It's a star chart to a nearby galaxy. Several planets are marked with some symbol. Probably population centers."

Dooku thought about this, and said after several minutes of thought, "Hold on to it, I must talk with my Master."

With that, the Count left the bridge, leaving the droids to their own devices. He walked quickly to his personal communications room, where he could contact Sideous about these recent revelations. As he neared the room, the door slid open, revealing a dark expanse. It seemed as though nothing could be in this room. Then, as he drew closer, a light turned on, automatically, revealing a projector at the center of the room. Dooku pressed some buttons on a nearby terminal, and knelt down in preparation. Soon enough, a massive image of Sideous bathed the room with blue light.

"What brings you here Darth Tyranus?" said Sideous, his voice filled with wickedness and impatience.

"I have some troubling news my master." began Dooku, looking up to see his master, "The probes were sent by a neutral faction, who had come here bringing war. They attacked us, and we destroyed them easily."

"Do you have the locations of their nearest planets?" asked Sideous, relatively intrigued.

"Yes my master." responded Dooku.

"Then send a nearby fleet commanded by someone expendable there, and destroy this new threat before it can attack again." said Sideous as he ended the connection.

"Yes, my Master." Dooku said reverently before he stood and disconnected the signal from the device, and turned heel to return to the bridge.

Dooku began issuing orders to the droids as soon as he entered the command room of the massive ship he was in. Within ten minutes, a message was sent to a nearby Confederate fleet commanded by Tar Mook to go to the coordinated specified, and destroy all resistance that is met. Little did Dooku, or anyone know, was that a virus, the same virus that fired the missile, was sending everything that was being said back to ONI Alpha Base in New Mombasa, CASTLE Base on Reach, and ONI Zenith Base on Unity.

* * *

><p>19:6 BBY<p>

GNR _Resolute_, hyperspace, en route to Alderaan

On board the deck of the _Resolute_, a heated debate was taking place between Admiral Yularen and General Skywalker. The subject was naturally that of what should have been done in regards to recent events. This time in regards to Dooku and the CIS fleet near Tatooine.

"We should have engaged them!" yelled Anakin to Admiral Yularen.

"Doing so would have been unnecessary Skywalker. Alderaan comes first." retorted Yularen, not bothering to look at the Jedi, instead opting to look out the window at the constantly moving lines of light fro me the stars visible while in hyperspace.

"But to let Dooku get away so easily because..." said Anakin before being interrupted by Ahsoka.

"Because Alderaan was under siege and needed our help." began the Padawan, who had entered the bridge mere moments ago, "Yes Master, it was the right decision."

"Who knows how many people will die in the ensuing years because of this lost opportunity." said Anakin in response, trying to justify his anger.

"The opportunity will come again Anakin, don't worry." said Obi-Wan, who had been listening the whole time.

With that, the discussion was over. The group of four were now all in the bridge of the _Resolute_, going to Alderaan to help the Republic forces fighting there. They were originally en route to Tatooine to engage Dooku's forces there, but Alderaan was shortly thereafter attacked, and Yularen's force was the closest one that could assist. Anakin was against this action, believing Dooku was the prime target. But, that was of little concern now. At the moment, all that mattered was getting to Alderaan and ending the battle there as quickly as possible.

They would be leaving hyperspace in half an hour, giving the three Jedi the opportunity to get a quick nap before fighting. Anakin and Ahsoka used this opportunity to do just that, leaving Master Kenobi on the deck with Yularen. Even though the two stood next to each other, neither bothered to talk. Instead, they chose to observe the clone ensigns below them.

It was almost majestic how all the clones did their job without question. 'Obedient to a fault' was not an uncommon phrase for the Jedi to throw around in regards to their troops. Nevertheless, they were good at the jobs they were assigned to do. They had moved with such professionalism, such dignity, such coordination. It was as if every action they were devoted to doing was choreographed. But, this was war, and they happened to be the better trained and smarter of the two sides.

As quickly as they entered hyperspace, they departed it, and a unusual scene was filling the windows of the _Resolute_ and her companions. What had originally begun as a small skirmish between scouting parties of the Republic and Confederacy had developed into a full scale invasion of Alderaan. Fleets from both sides were battered, with wreckage scoured across the planet and its moons. The CIS, by the reports initially given to admiral Yularen, numbered with over ninety ships, and thousands of droids, were as the Republic had a mere fifty ships close enough to assist the planet and three-fifths the number of ground troops. But, with Yularen's reinforcements, the odds seemed relatively even. Unfortunately, the CIS were pressing an aggressive assault from the looks of it. The Republic forces were now down to thirty-four ships, based on the holographic display in the deck of the _Resolute_. The Confederacy, on the other hand, had sixty ships left by the looks of it.

"Designate hostiles as Raider one through sixty-two and launch all available fighters and bombers!" ordered Yularen to the bridge crew, who followed the orders as quickly as possible.

XXX

Orbit of Alderaan, Alderaan System, Alderaan Sector

Within moments, hundreds of fighters and bombers left the hangers of the task force and were heading to the fight to engage the Confederacy. Among them was General Skywalker and Commander Tano.

The two Jedi, joined by their clone comrades were engaged in a brutal dogfight mere moments after leaving the safety of their ships. Ahsoka and Anakin were separated from the larger group, and now had to fend for themselves.

"Ahsoka!" yelled Skywalker over the intercom, "You got two tri-fighters on your tail."

"On it Master." responded Ahsoka as she pulled her starfighter up and entered into a loop to get onto the six o'clock of the droid fighters. She succeeded in this maneuver, and soon enough, both of the droids were heaping piles of metal and junk.

"Good job Snips." said Anakin in response.

Ahsoka soon joined Anakin's fighter on his left side, and they continued on their way to their main objective, the droid capital ship. Unfortunately for them, though, this was right in the way of the massive dogfight developing between the two sides. Within moments, both the Jedi were separated from each other because of their droid pursuers.

"Looks like I'm on my own." said Anakin more to himself than to anyone else as he chased a group of three droid tri-fighters around one of the Republic ships.

Anakin was able to line up his shot on the tri-fighters closest to him when flying in front of the hanger of a _Venator_-Class Star Destroyer, and within seconds, the former fighter was nothing more than burning wreckage. This left only two fighter left. They both began evasive maneuvers to avoid their attacker, and separated themselves. Anakin chose to take on the droid that veered to the left and was headed to a group of Republic bombers. This droid was crafty, though, and spiraled out of his line of sight as quickly as it entered it. Anakin looked around for it, but was unsuccessful. Then, in an instant, two ruby red beams of light shone past his cockpit. Anakin looked back to see a fighter was behind him now, and lining him up. One well placed shot, and he was done. Anakin tried every maneuver he knew, from spiraling, to diving, to hooking around hulking vessels, but the droid remained on his tail. Finally, it appeared as though the fighter was about to open up on the Jedi, when, out of nowhere, an ARC-170 flew past and fired upon the tri-fighter, destroying it in milliseconds.

"Thanks for that." said Anakin, thoroughly thankful.

"Anytime General." was the cones response before he entered the fray again.

Anakin then looked around for the droid capital ship, and found it was much closer than he expected it to be. He pushed forward, past the dogfights surrounding him. Soon enough, he was racing towards it with a small contingent of ARC-170's and V-Wings who chose to join him. As they got within range of the missiles and point defense systems of the _Lucrehulk_-class Droid Control Ship, they fired everything they had at the missile pods and cannons. Simultaneously, the missiles and laser cannons opened up on the attackers. Of the twenty something clone attackers, five were instantly engulfed in flames. The remaining vessels lured the fire away from Anakin, giving him the opportunity to get inside the ship and destroy it from the interior. Anakin seized this opportunity to do so, and within moments, flew past the closing hanger bay doors and landed gently in the lightly defended hanger. He jumped out of the fighter and landed, lightsaber ready to fight all those who stand in his way. He looked up to see a small platoon of droids headed his way, and thought to himself '_This is going to be a walk in the park_' before engaging them.

XXX

GNR _Resolute_, Orbit of Alderaan, Alderaan system, Alderaan Sector

As soon as the fighters and bombers left the hangers, Yularen ordered "Move into attack position and hit their flank."

Yet again, the crew followed the orders, and soon, Yularen's force was at the side of the CIS fleet, pushing it away from the Republic defenders. With this little bit of breathing room, the battered defenders pressed the new assault, with the help of the new arrivals, and began systematically destroying the CIS fleet.

"Fire port side turbolaser batteries on Raider ten!" ordered Yularen while pointing at a ship on the holographic display of the battle, forming a red box around the outline of the ship and marking it as the prime target for the bridge crew concerned.

Moments later, the four turbolaser batteries on the port side of the _Resolute_ opened up on the designated ship, a _Recusant_-class light destroyer. The relatively light shields of the Separatist Destroyer faded out of existence after only four turbolaser bolts, and the remaining four had hit the bridge, arms cache, and reactor. This caused a massive explosion to fill the ship and destroy its occupants. This action, though, attracted the attention of the other five in that ships group, and they opened fire on the _Resolute_.

"Divert all available energy to port side shields and fire at will on Raider eleven through sixteen!" Yularen ordered to the bridge crew while he marked the five currently attack his ship.

Turbolaser batteries went into action on both sides, and massive bolts of plasma were created only to fade into nonexistence after making contact with the other vessel. Even individual fighters got onto the action, and fired upon the hostile ships in an attempt to disable or destroy them. For a brief moment, this was the center of the battle.

The first volley fired by the Resolute destroyed yet another Separatist Destroyer, but the other four fired back with turbolaser batteries of their own.

"Fire proton torpedoes on Raider thirteen and fourteen" Yularen ordered, focusing on the two closest destroyers.

Soon, one of the proton torpedo firing tubes spat out eight proton torpedoes before being destroyed by a CIS bomber. These were enough, though, as the torpedoes hit critical areas and decimated the ships from the inside, engulfing them in brilliant displays of light before the flames succumbed to the lack of oxygen.

Yularen had now succeeded in destroying three of the Separatist Destroyers when the shields for his ship went down. Proton torpedoes, which were withheld up to this point by the CIS, were fired, and formed massive craters in the hull of the _Resolute _as they impacted various areas, peeling off the outer armor and causing massive explosions to jettison out into the vacuum of space. Some of them hit turbolaser batteries, but most destroyed the remaining proton torpedo firing tubes. Before another volley of proton torpedoes could be fired, three turbolaser batteries from the _Resolute_ fired upon one of the destroyers, and sent the already damaged ship out of commission. Right before the last Separatist Destroyer could fire at the _Resolute_, eleven NTB-630 Naval Bombers flew in and dropped their ordinances on the light destroyer. The first two bombs that made contact did nothing by get rid of the already wavering shields. The ensuing eight made contact with non-vital areas like turbolaser batteries, proton torpedo firing tubes, ect. The last one, however, hit the destroyer in just the right spot to overload the reactor, and obliterate the ship from the inside. What was once a Separatist Destroyer was not a giant ball of fire and energy. With that, the fight was over, with the _Resolute_ being the last ship remaining.

However, that was not the end of the battle, as the CIS was still fighting furiously against other Republic ships. Yularen looked desperately at the droid control ship, and thought to himself '_I hope Anakin and Ahsoka will be done soon._'

_XXX_

_Lucrehulk_-class Droid Control Ship, Orbit of Alderaan, Alderaan system, Alderaan Sector

Mere moments after Skywalker had entered the ship, the whole platoon of defenders were nothing more than blasters in various conditions and bisected droids. Now that the hanger was cleared of all threats, Anakin moved towards the reactor core on the other side of the ship. As he moved to his objective, he came across an increasing number of droids, but this phenomenon should be expected. Besides, the B1 and B2 battle droids were not a challenge in the least. What really threw him off was seeing that MagnaGuards were all over the station.

After running for no more than twenty minutes, Skywalker was within view of the reactor room. It was bathed in a faint blue-green light from the reactor and the few lights ordaining the roof. Various catwalks crisscrossed the room starting five meters into the air and going up to the roof some thirty high. He also found why the ship had more droids than it usually did. General Grievous was here, on Alderaan. Anakin weighed his options, and decided that this was his best chance. He ran towards the General past the already semi-open door, and swung for the general's head. Grievous heard the footsteps of the Jedi, though, and moved his head just in time to dodge the attack. As he was dodging Anakin's swing, he ignited two of his lightsabers, a blue and green one, and began pressing his assault on the Jedi Knight. Anakin had some difficulty dealing with the attack posed by Grievous, but it was nothing for him to genuinely worry about. He had fought the General several times before and come out unscathed, grated those times were with Kenobi at his side.

The general thrust forward, towards Anakin's mid-section, while swinging towards his head. Anakin blocked this action by ducking down and pushing aside the thrust. He used the momentum created to launch an overhead swing to the generals mid-section, only to have to have same happen to him. When Grievous swung to Anakin's abdomen, he jumped up and above the General, attacking and missing the General's head narrowly. When he landed behind the General, he thrust forward again, hoping to hit Grievous' unprotected back. This action was blocked when the General turned around quickly, and then vertically spun his blade. He then launched a strike to the Jedi's head. This swinging motion was parried, by Anakin, who then swung diagonally to Grievous' right shoulder.

Grievous blocked this, and used this momentary respite to say "You are no match for me Skywalker!"

"Awfully arrogant, don't you think." retorted Anakin as he used a Force push to throw Grievous back.

This succeeded partially, as Grievous was thrown a few meters back, only to land on his feet and charge forward. Anakin was ready, and when Grievous used his two lightsabers to strike downwards, Anakin blocked this with his one lightsaber. Unfortunately, Grievous was stranger than expected, and Anakin was forced onto one knee. Grievous continued pushing, and made continuous insults at the Jedi, only to be pushed back yet again by Anakin, who used the momentary break when Grievous was talking to his adversary.

This time, Grievous was not so lucky, and landed on his back. When he scrambled to his feet, Anakin was right above the infamous General, lying down strike after strike at Grievous' head and body. These motions were more powerful than Grievous expected, and he suffered his underestimation by losing his right hand. He roared out in rage, and kicked at Anakin. His metal foot connected with Anakin's midsection, sending the Jedi flying back and against the opposite wall, before slumping down, his lungs deprived of all oxygen.

Grievous, yet again, charged forward, two of his lightsabers held high above his head ready to strike while the other was held behind as if on standby. Anakin, upon hearing the loud footfalls form the approaching General, used the Force to clear his mind of the searing pain shooting up form his abdomen and stood, his lightsaber held in a vice-like grip before him in a ready position.

Once the General was halfway to his target, Anakin before charging forward himself, and they met mere seconds later, Grievous' lightsabers pushing down on Anakin's which was held horizontally and above his head. Beads of sweat began forming and trailing down from his forehead, as his muscles strained to handles the onslaught. Feeling the familiar sensation of an incoming threat, Anakin instinctively pushed with all his might, and with a little help form the Force, Grievous' lightsabers to the right side and, while holding his lightsaber vertically, continued to move it with the momentum created to block the thrust Grievous was going for with his third arm.

After parrying the strike, Anakin still moved with the momentum, and swept overhead at the exposed left hand of Grievous. His lightsaber connected, and the second hand was severed, leaving only one on each side. Grievous let out another primal roar before pulling both his lightsabers back and across, ready to attack with a scissor strike, of sorts. Anakin, sensing the impending danger, flip-jumped back several meters. Once his feet hit the ground, he pushed with as much force as he could muster using the Force, and the General practically flew back to the opposite wall, creating a massive dent in the durasteel.

Now finally realizing the duel was lost, Grievous, like an insect, crawled out of the battle through a nearby catwalk, before Anakin could charge forward to finish the job.

"Just like Grievous." said Anakin as he disabled his lightsaber, "Running away like a common bug."

Now that Anakin was alone, he observed the reactor in front of him. To his left, was a console that could aid him in his endeavor. He casually walked towards it, turned the digital dial that dealt with distribution of energy, and began running to his awaiting ship. He ran as quickly as his feet would take him, but that might not be enough, as the explosions could be heard going off before he reached his ship. As the thunderous noises neared, his fighter was seen fifty meters away. Anakin ran faster now, fully motivated in getting to his ship on time. He turned around, to see the progress of the explosions as he was about to enter the cockpit, and found they were no more than a hundred meters away and approaching rapidly. He entered fast, turned his ship on, and took off as fast as his ship could go. As he neared his exit, the flames began licking the glass covering of his cockpit. The explosion shot out of the hanger door, followed swiftly by his craft. He had just narrowly escaped. As he was flying away, he turned around to look at his doing, and found the droid control ship in complete ruins. Some sections were shot out into the dark void of space, but most were begin launched into orbit around Alderaan or landing on the planet itself, fires still shooting out in all available exits, lighting up the black void of space around them briefly before they were squelched by lack of oxygen.

"That should do it." said Anakin to himself.

XXX

Orbit of Alderaan, Alderaan System, Alderaan Sector

While Anakin was busy dueling General Grievous, Ahsoka was in a heated dogfight with a squadron of tri-fighters. She had already destroyed three of them, but the remaining five were causing some trouble. At the moment, she was trailing three of them as the other two were on her tail. The tri-fighters in front had then separated, leaving her chasing one of them through the close confines of the Republic and Separatist ships. It bobbed and weaved though turbolaser fire, dove through wreckage of former ships, almost went on suicide runs on the bridges of Republic vessels, but it could not shake her. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she got a lock on the ship, and fired her two laser cannons at the poor droid, and obliterated it from existence. This left only the question of where the other four were.

Ahsoka turned her head as she flew into empty space, away from the other dogfights, only to find the other droids were no longer chasing her. She continued to look around, only to find nothing. But, something just felt...off. She then realized what she was feeling, and sped away from the scene as fast as possible. Just as she left her spot, several streaks of lasers were seen moving through the area she had just occupied. She maneuvered her craft down to get a look at what was attacking her, and saw the tri-fighters had gotten below her and pulled up to attack once she stopped moving. She then dove down to meet the attackers, and played a deadly game of chicken with them. She fired her laser cannons at the closest fighter, and saw it explode in a glorious display of fire and energy. She flew her fighter through the explosion, and came out the other side ready to take another tri-fighter down. Before she could get a shot off on the other two, she streaked past them, and was forced to turn around.

When she had turned her craft around, she noticed the two tri-fighters were fleeing to the developing dogfights. Ahsoka seized this opportunity and chased them down. First, the closest fighter was lost when she lined up her sights to its engine, and opened fire, annihilating it instantly. Finally, all that remained was the last one, but it escaped into the fray before Ahsoka could finish it off.

Defeated, Ahsoka searched for a new opponent, and found many in the dogfight between the fleets. She had scored many kills before the fight ended with the Confederate ships ending their attacks, standing still.

Ahsoka thought to herself '_I guess Skyguy took care of our objective._'

XXX

GNR _Resolute_, Orbit of Alderaan, Alderaan System, Alderaan Sector

Almost instantly, the CIS fleet was thrown out of commission. It was Master Kenobi that put it so eloquently, "Well that solves that problem." As soon as the cleanup was finished several hours later, all the troops were recalled to their respective ships, and Yularen's task force returned to their Kuat Drive Yards to get reinforcements and rebuild their battered fleet. Yularen thought to himself 'If only this was the last instance of bloodshed in this war.'

While Yularen was musing with this, an ensign said to him, "Sir, we have a message from Coruscant, Executive Alpha-level transmission. It must be the Chancellor."

"Put him though on the main screen." replied Yularen automatically.

Soon enough, the clone was back at his terminal typing commands into the monitor as quickly as his hands could move. Mere seconds later, an image of an old, friendly-looking chancellor that was Palpatine appeared before him in the form of a life-size blue hologram showing him from the waist up. His weathered face, and kind eyes bespoke of nothing but wisdom and knowledge, but even through the holographic transmission, Yularen could still see something beneath it all.

Palpatine said in a commanding tone, "Admiral Yularen, I need you and your fleet to depart to the Arkanis System as soon as you and your fleet is repaired. Understood?"

"Yes Chancellor." replied Yularen, "May I ask why we are going to that particular system?"

The Chancellor thought about this for a second, then said, "I have reason to believe that Dooku is still in that system. Letting him get away would be disastrous for the war-effort."

Yularen looked into the eyes of his Chancellor, and he saw that there was something he was not being told. But, the Admiral knew his place, and he knew not to question the Supreme Chancellor.

Then, Yularen said to finish the conversation, "And what shall I do once Dooku's force is defeated?"

"Stay there until further orders, understood?" countered Palpatine, looking a little disgruntle that he would ask.

"Yes sir." said Yularen automatically, before Palpatine cut the transmission.

* * *

><p>12 March 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 21:05:09<p>

Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Earth, Sol System, CSS Homeworld Sector

On a cold, March morning, all the recruits of the 5th Shock Battalion were assembled out in the courtyard of the base they were assigned to. The trees in the center of the courtyard were dancing in the wind as the three degree Celsius wind blew between the rigid faces of the soldiers. they had assembled in square formation based on the platoon they were assigned to, and all faced a stage near the center of the courtyard. Atop the stage was a uniformed individual, a commission officer, who was talking into the microphone, trying to create a heartwarming speech for the soon-to-be troops, but he only succeeded in making the soldier shiver as they waited to return to their barracks.

While the officer was talking, Fred looked over to the other side of the square to his friend, Richard, and quickly gave him a middle finger. Richard began laughing and returned the favor in a relatively extravagant manner (imaginary box where you rotate a crank and the middle finger rises as you crank the invisible lever). Fred cracked up at this, and almost got in trouble when the speaker stopped and looked at his in the eyes, giving the look of "You do that again, and I'll come down there and rip your throat out."

This action of batting the eyes was enough to make both individuals stand back at attention and wait for their speaker to lead them through the oath. Finally, he finished up his speech, and lead them through the oath of allegiance.

Richard raised his right hand, and said with everyone else, following the speaker word-for-word, "I, Richard Vicker, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the Coalition of Sentient Species against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the Coalition and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice."

Once they had finished, the officer set them free to return to the relative warmth of their barracks. As quickly as they could in a professional manner, they returned to find sleep, something that had evaded them for so long during their training. Richard in particular decided he needed to talk to Fred about something, but after ten minutes of waiting, he never returned.

"Fred, where the hell are you, you son of a bitch?" he yelled with some mirth while looking around the barracks to find his friend.

"He's outside, now go to bed asshole!" replied one of the soldiers, who was trying to take nap, as evident by the fact he was face deep in a pillow.

After hearing this, Richard went outside trying to find out why his friend had yet to return. As soon as he left the threshold of the door and looked around the adjacent courtyard, he discovered his lost friend. Fred was found easily because of the relatively flat nature of the artificial grassland. He was staring out into the night sky, seemingly mesmerized by its apparent beauty.

Before Richard reached him, he could not help but join his friend in stargazing. It was an absolutely breathtaking view. The base they were staying at was far enough away from the city so that little light pollution affected the soldiers. The moon by itself illuminated the courtyard in a manner so as to create an eerie light that bathed the two. It was enough to make out the finer features of each, but not enough to discern who they were from a distance. The stars light up the sky, and they formed majestic constellations. Even the faintest image of the Milky Way was seen by both, but not in its true glory.

"Why you still freezing your ass off?" asked Richard as he neared Fred, who was still looking up at the sky

Fred, never averting his eyes, said, "I'm thinking about somethin'."

Richard, still looking at his companion, said, "And what would that be?"

Still staring at the stars, Fred replied, "Each of those stars represents a system, likely one that belongs to the Coalition, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so." said Richard in response wile raising an inquisitive eyebrow at his friend.

"Thousands of systems, altogether holding billions of lives, right?" continued Fred, now averting his gaze to now look into the brown eyes of his friend.

"That sounds about right Iron Gut. What's your point?" asked Richard, failing to understand how his friend could relate this to anything of worth.

"So now I'm responsible to keep billions of people safe from despots and rebels. Billions of innocent lives, in my hands." said Fred, finally revealing what he was eluding to.

"Well, you're pretty wrong in that regard." replied Richard, now looking into the stars himself, just in time to see a shooting star speed across the sky.

"How so?" asked Fred, who had returned his gaze to look at the nigh sky above with his comrade.

"I, and the entire Coalition military, am going to be there making sure you don't fuck up." he replied, with a hint of mockery thrown into his words.

"Why do I feel like me and you are gonna do something very big, very important?" asked Fred.

"Because," began Richard, placing a hand on his friends shoulder, "We're badass ODST's who got greatness on their minds. Nothing can stop us."

"I hope you're right." said Fred as he stopped looking into the sky and began walking to the barracks.

"Don't worry, I always am." said Richard in response as he joined Fred in walking towards the barracks.

* * *

><p>14 March 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 09:06:53<p>

ONI Alpha Base, New Mombasa, Earth, Sol System, CSS Homeworld Sector

Ever since the signal from the virus was received, ONI was a hotbed of activity. They knew the "Confederate" fleet would be arriving in Coalition space anytime now, and knew that the Drexmont System was most likely to be attacked, and even knew how many Confederate ships were being sent (76), but did not know how strong they were in comparison to their own.

ONI officially had since sent word that they believed that a hostile force of Insurgent ships were en route to the Drexmont System, and that they have amassed enough ships to justify the sending the newly created 14th Fleet, commanded by Admiral Oku. The Secretary of the Navy did not bother to ask how they came about this knowledge, for he thought he may not want to know.

Above all the chaos below, in the highest floor of the installation sat Director Ruckus, who was musing with the thought of another war. He was not looking forward to it, nor did he wish for it, but he knew to further his goals, it was a necessity. At this precise minute, he was staring out the window, overlooking the bustling city below him. The African sun shining brightly down upon the major metropolis as cars and aircraft went about their business, completely oblivious to what was happening. The only knowledge they had about recent events was that all travel to the Drexmont System was temporarily suspended until further notice by the Coalition Military, which affected all of about nobody.

Then, in the middle of his thoughts, his earpiece rang with the familiar tone of someone contacting him. He turned away from the window, and placed his hand upon his ear.

"Yes...yes I want a team of Spartans ready for when they come...yes, I know, just do it already...because I want to give them something they'll never forget, alright...alright, bye." was all of his conversation that was heard by anyone other than whomever he was talking to.

Once his conversation was done, Ruckus returned to his thoughts, but now focused on the prospect of Confederate soldiers against Spartans.

"Those robot bastards don't stand a chance." said Ruckus to himself, a knowing smile gracing his weathered features as he looked out into the rising sun over New Mombasa.

* * *

><p>Official ONI report given to ONI, UEG, and CSS on 18 March 2587<p>

A month and a half after first contact was made with alien species, we succeeded in communication and negotiations with said species. As it turns out, such species are actually members of greater organizations. The two main organizations that will be discussed are the Confederacy of Independent Systems (A secessionist force), and the Galactic Republic (official governing body).

The Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS, or Separatists) broke off of the Galactic Republic after decades of unpopular business related laws passed by a relatively corrupt Galactic Senate. Originally, the Confederacy was simply a string of organizations irate over the Galactic Republic, and wished to see these unpopular laws changed. Some of these organizations include, but are not limited to: Corporate Alliance, Trade Federation, and Techno Union. They are lead by a man by the name of Count Dooku, a self proclaimed Sith, and an unknown Sith Overlord. They officially broke off from the Republic approximately three (3) years ago, and have been fight this war since then. Their armies, lead by Qymaen jai Sheelal (General Grievous is his current name), consist almost entirely of droids, with some instances when mercenaries or criminals have filled the ranks. It is unknown exactly how many of their soldiers exist at this moment, but estimates show they number in the billions, if not trillions. Their production capabilities far exceed our own, but the quality of troops is far worse than our own, and the only reason they have experienced such success in the war thus far is because of capable leadership.

On the other end of the spectrum is the Galactic Republic (Republic). Consisting primarily of a Galactic Senate, where representatives from each star system under control of the Republic, a Supreme Chancellor, who is elected by the senate, and a judicial system largely under the control of the Supreme Chancellor. It is also worth noting that since the formation of the Republic approximately 23,000 years ago, the Jedi Order has been the self proclaimed defenders of the Republic. The current Supreme Chancellor of the Republic is known as Palpatine (little is known about origins). Little is known, so further information is of high priority. Army consists mainly of clone troopers, with Jedi acting as generals. They also number in the billions, if not trillions, and their production capabilities also far exceed our own. The quality of their troops is also worse than that of our own, but these clones are far superior to the droids, and should be considered a threat at all times if engaged.

The weapons that are commonly used by both sides are plasma based in nature, with minimal usage of kinetic energy based weaponry. They do have missile batteries, and do use them, but not nearly as often as the plasma weapons. The individual soldiers of both sides use exclusively plasma weapons (exception: rocket launcher soldiers used against tanks and aerial vehicles).

The Jedi and Sith are known to have telekinetic abilities, and should always be considered a threat if engaged. Their reflexes are also extremely well toned, close to Spartan levels. Other than this, though, little is known about their biology, or what causes this telekinetic ability. The Jedi are believed to be the controllers of the "Light Side of the Force", and the antithesis of the Sith, or controllers of the "Dark Side of the Force". They theorize that the "Force" is what gives them their telekinetic energy, and even is the cause of life. Their weapons of choice include swords of sorts, but instead of the traditional swords made of metal, they consist largely of some sort of plasma or light, similar to the energy swords. The designs of the "lightsabers" as they call them, are unknown, and should be subject to immediate study. These warriors specialize in Close Quarters Combat (CQC), and should be considered extremely dangerous in close ranges.

Other than this information, little is known about either faction, and should be subject to intensive study on all levels. The Confederates are known hostiles, and the Republic should not be viewed as friendlies until communication with them is established.


	3. Chapter 2: Shot Heard Around the World

**Note: so this doesn't need to be explained later, I'll do so now to not interrupt the flow, as much. **

**Ships Specs: **

**Coalition Supercarrier (Spartan-class)-L=4,500 m., W=180 m., MA=2 MAC's (Note: MACs have been improved upon, slightly, with speeds varying from ship class to ship class, ODP's remaining at 40% speed of light (c), and in this instance, the supercarriers firing them at around 15% c, with reactors on all ships able to fire two MAC's at a time), SA=40 Longbow Missile Pods (improved upon from Archer missiles, carry more "punch" and are faster, with each missile pod carrying 40 missiles each), 40 Mass Drivers (primitive MAC guns scaled down for individual use, much weaker, but still a potent weapon in close range and when fired with others of its kind. Are often grouped in pairs on circular moving turrets, similar in appearance to turbolaser batteries on Star Destroyers) 80 Pulse Laser Turrets (relatively unchanged, but can last longer in bursts of power), and 120 40mm chain gun CIWS  
><strong>

**Coalition Carrier (Stalingrad-class)-L=3,200 m., W= 130 m., MA= 2 MAC's (11% c), SA=30 Longbow Missile Pods, 20 Mass Drivers, 60 Pulse Laser Turrets, 80 40mm chain gun CIWS  
><strong>

**Coalition Battleship (Hierarch-class)-L=4,200 m., W=900 m. (at widest), MA=10 Energy Projectors (improved reactor technology allows for at most 4 energy projectors to fire for 2 minutes before needing at least 30 seconds for recharge), SA=100 Plasma Turrets (fires plasma torpedoes) and 80 Longbow Missile Pods, ****80 Mass Drivers, 70 Pulse Laser Turrets, and 120 40mm chain gun CIWS**

**Coalition Battle Cruiser (Sangheilios-class)-L=1,800 m., W=875 m. (at widest), MA=4 energy projectors (can only fire 2 at a time), SA=50 plasma turrets, 20 Longbow Missile Pods, 25 Mass Drivers, 40 Pulse Laser Turrets, and 60 40mm chain gun CIWS  
><strong>

**Coalition Light Cruiser (Onyx-class)-L=1,200 m., W=290 m., MA=1 MAC (4% c), SA=12 Longbow Missile Pods, 10 Mass Drivers, 20 Pulse Laser Turrets, and 30 40mm chain gun CIWS  
><strong>

**Coalition Destroyer (Eayn-class)-L=500m., W=100 m. (at widest), MA= none, SA=8 Longbow Missile Pods, 14 Plasma Turrets, 30 Pulse Laser Turrets, and 40 40mm chain gun CIWS  
><strong>

**Coalition Frigate (Harvest-class)-L=550 m., W=200 m., MA= 1 MAC (1.5% c), SA=8 Longbow Missile Pods, 25 Pulse Laser Turrets, and 20 40mm chain gun CIWS **

**Coalition Dreadnaught (Unity-class)-L=2,600 m., W=450 m., MA=4 Energy Projectors and 1 MAC (9% c), SA=75 Plasma Turrets, 25 Longbow Missile Pods, 36 Mass Drivers, 60 Pulse Laser Turrets, and 75 40mm chain gun CIWS **

**(Experimental) Coalition Supercarrier (Monolith-Class)-L=26,300 m., W=1,050 m., MA=3 MACs (35% c), 14 Energy Projectors, SA=180 Longbow Missile Pods, 200 Mass Drivers, 240 Pulse Laser Turrets, and 650 40mm chain gun CIWS  
><strong>

Chapter 2: Shot Heard Around the World

13 March 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 09:41:12

Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Earth, Sol System, CSS Homeworld Sector

The day after their ceremony, the ODST's were being told where the 5th battalion would go for deployment. There were many theories in regards to where they will go, ranging from the 1st Fleet in Unity, to the 10th Fleet near Reach, to even the 15th Fleet near Eayn. Everybody was thoroughly disappointed to find that they were deployed with the 14th Fleet near Euridina, in the middle of nowhere.

"God damnit!" said one of the ODSTs near Richard while he was lying in his bed, listening to the speaker as he went from barracks to barracks.

"It could be worse." responded Richard to the ODST' protest.

"Yeah," chimed in Fred, "We could be stationed near a beautiful beach resort defending hotties from Insurrectionists. Instead, we get the good pleasure of going to a planet with more cows than people."

"Is that sarcasm I sense?" asked Richard, now looking at his friend rather than the speaker.

"No, I'm being completely fucking serious." retorted Fred, who was now standing up and moving to the door with everybody else.

As it turns out, the speaker had said that they were leaving right then and there, and that everybody had to get ready within a half an hour. After the speaker had left, everybody in the barracks was already in motion getting all their personal gear and filing out of the door to the nearby transports. Richard had left Fred to begin gathering his essentials: a family picture taken before he volunteered for service, a picture of his girlfriend, Marley, back in Pittsburgh, and of course, his lucky dice. It only took him several minutes what took others much more, and he soon joined Fred, who had also finished relatively quickly, and left the barracks. Once they left the threshold of the door, they were greeted with a clear blue sky and pleasant 15 degree (Celsius) weather. The wind was picking up, and the nearby trees were waving the new soldiers goodbye as it were.

Fred and Richard boarded the Pelican before long, and took up the seats furthest from the "back door." The Pelican was bathed in silence, as everyone was trying to enjoy the sight of the base before they left in peace. The wind began picking up even more, and it was sending a chill up everyone's spine. Just about everyone was getting excited to finally see the inside of one of the Coalition's great warships, and enjoy the luxury of air conditioning and central heat.

During the wait, one of the pilots said over the intercom "We'll be leaving in 10 minutes, prepare yourselves."

As if on cue, everyone in the Pelican fastened their "seatbelts." The ten minutes went by relatively quickly, but was characterize with many sprinting individuals trying to get to the Pelicans on time. By the time the Pelican was off the ground, everyone of the seats was occupied with someone.

The back door closed as they reached thirty meters into the air, and everyone made their last glimpse of the world before departing for the awaiting transport in Earth Orbit. When it was sealed shut, the lights flickered on, and the air circulation activated.

Everyone in the Pelican remained silent, thinking in their minds what they would do in Euridina. There were some whispers, but nothing worth noting was said by anyone.

The remainder of the thirty minute transit flight was not noteworthy, and was quickly concluded when the Pelican docked with the Colony ship, CFV-825 _Oligarch_, and they began their journey to the Euridina System.

When they landed in the relatively large hanger of the colony ship, the back door went down to reveal a sight most of the ODST's had never seen. In the hanger were a wide assortment of workers of varying species, carrying crates, moving machinery, or simply milling around. Considering most of the green ODST's had never seen another alien of the Coalition, much less would live with them, this was going to be quite interesting. The recruits wasted no time beginning conversations with the crew of the colony ship, trying to set a good impression upon them.

While the ODST's were making new connections, the captain said over the intercom, "As captain of the _Oligarch_, I would like to say welcome to the safest place you'll be residing in for the next two years. We'll be leaving in ten minutes and expect to arrive with the 14th Fleet by 0600 hours tomorrow."

* * *

><p>14 March 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 14:52:59<p>

Orbit of Euridina, Euridina System, CSS Outer Colonies Sector 6

Far above the surface of the rural colony of Euridina resided Admiral Konima Oku of the 14th Fleet. On this particular day, he was in his personal quarters reading a holobook. His room, for an admiral, was quite plain. It had surprisingly few niceties, far less than one would expect a high ranking military commander. Maybe it was his sense of humility, or his less than admirable debts that he accumulated over the years, but he was enjoying a simple life aboard the SCV-022 _Redemption_. His men admired him for his generosity and fairness. But, everyone in the fleet knew that when even slightly agitated, he would explode like a powder keg. Some believe that short temper would come in handy in battle, but most said it will make him reckless.

None of this mattered, though, as he was still enjoying _The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster_ when his personal com unit blared to life.

"Sir" began the communications ensign, seemingly a human male, "your presence is requested on deck."

Oku looked up from his holobook, disgruntled that someone would interrupt him, and said, "May I ask who has summoned me?"

"That would be the Secretary of the Navy, Michael Vickberg." responded the ensign quickly.

Oku's eyes widened. He was not expecting the Secretary of the Navy to contact him, at least not at this time. Hastily, he said, "I'll be down in a minute."

"Yes sir." finished the ensign as the connection was lost.

Oku quickly got up from the chair he was sitting in, pushed it back in, and made haste to the bridge. Luckily for him, his personal quarters were no more than five minutes away from the bridge of his ship. Even though he was walking at an accelerated pace, he still made time to return a salute the men who stopped whatever they were doing and saluted him. It was a personal quirk of his.

Regardless of personal deficiencies, he made quick time to the command center of the ship, and looked at the holographic image of the Secretary of the Navy in the middle of his deck. Oku, even though he had much experience with holoprojectors, was still mesmerized by the shimmering image of whoever was sending the signal. The blue figure was a life-size image of whoever was on the other side. Even though he was holding office, Vickberg made a note of it to wear his old Navy uniform, probably out of either respect or personal habit. Even though the image distorted the view, one could still make out the individual medals displayed on the breast of the former captain. His cap, tipped with the symbol of the Coalition rested atop his head as if it was a natural body part, something he was born with. While Oku was analyzing all of this, Vickberg spoke.

He said, "Oku, I'm going to keep this simple. The Coalition needs your fleet to go to the Drexmont System as soon as possible."

Oku was surprised at this. He asked, "Why do you need me in that ass-backwards system?"

"Because," began the Secretary, "We were informed by a reliable source that Insurrectionists are planning a large assault there. You're the closest fleet in the area that has the firepower to stop them."

"What the hell would insurrectionists want with that system? Their only exports are iron and cheap whiskey." Oku continued.

"I don't know Oku. Maybe they want to ruin St. Patrick's Day for all the poor college kids. Does it matter? It's a Coalition colony and needs to be defended." retorted Vickberg, growing slightly agitated at Oku's continued questions.

"Fine." began Oku begrudgingly, "When's the latest I need to leave?"

"You need to be there by 0800 hours tomorrow, so I advise you make your way there within an hour." commanded Vickberg.

"Anything else I should know?" asked Oku before Vickberg left.

"Nothing. Good luck." finished the Secretary as his image disappeared.

"Well you heard the man." said Oku to his bridge crew, who were all listening intently to their admiral's orders, "inform all the captains that we're leaving in ten minutes."

"Yes sir." responded the communications officer as he typed away at his terminal and began sending the message to all the other ships.

True to his word, Oku left the Euridina System ten minutes later with the rest of his "fleet." Using that term was generous to say the least. The 14th Fleet was a recent creation, made because of technicality. The only reason for its existence was because the Coalition wanted the people of the Outer Colonies farthest from the Galactic Core to feel safe in case anyone less than friendly showed up. The real threat of extra-galactic hostiles was astronomically low, but the Insurrectionist threat was very real. Even though the Insurrectionists hadn't launched any large scale assault in years, they were still technically considered enemies, and they justified the massive fleets elsewhere in Coalition controlled space. But, as for the 14th itself, it was staffed with one Supercarrier (human design), three regular carriers (human design), four battleships (Covenant design), six battle cruisers (Covenant design), ten frigates (human design), and eight destroyers (human design). They were supposed to be staffed with six new dreadnaughts (Covenant/human design) and twelve light cruisers (human design), but they weren't going to come in for another month. While this is a respectable size, it is nothing compared to the other fleets, which are usually staffed with at least 125 ships (4th Fleet-Outer Colonies), and at most 350 (1st Fleet-Capital Sector). Then again, this fleet was a recent creation, so there are probably some plans, buried deep under mountains of paperwork, to enlarge this fleet. At the moment, though, 32 ships would have to suffice for any Insurrectionist threat.

* * *

><p>15 March 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 07:12:43<p>

Orbit of Drexmont, Drexmont System, CSS Outer Colonies Sector 6

Thousands of kilometers above the surface of the relatively desolate planet of Drexmont was utter nothingness. Save for the theoretical radiation emitted by the void of space, there was absolutely nothing near this planet. Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, a portal emitting massive radiation, opened up near the third moon of Drexmont, Triad. It was as if a tear in the space-time continuum was breached, and out came a ship of immense proportions. The ship was at least four and a half kilometers in length, and had two massive openings at its front. Within seconds, thirty-one other portals opened to reveal ships of varying sizes and shapes pour out into the space near this almost barren world. This was the arrival of the 14th Fleet.

All the ships, when exiting the portals, were in almost perfect naval formation, with the smooth, purple ships, residing in the back, protected by the more utilitarian appearing ships. They were all headed by a massive ship, the first one to exit its portal. It was the _Redemption_.

"Sir," began one of the ensigns on the deck of the _Redemption_, "I checked with the early detection posts nearby. So far, it's all clear."

"Alright, I want regular updates from them every ten minutes, understood?" replies Oku in response.

"Yes sir." said the ensign as he went back to his terminal.

"Lucas," began Oku, while looking at the communications ensign, "inform all captains to maintain formation."

"Yes sir," replies Lucas, who had not bothered to turn away from his terminal.

Oku took this time to look out the massive windows of the bridge. To his ship's immediate right was the third moon of Drexmont, Triad, and his left, the second moon, Juniper, which was eclipsing the planet below. The suns off in the distance gave a distinct light red hue to the system as they rose above Triad and began bathing the fleet in their brilliance. Luckily for the fleet, they were all protected from solar radiation by immensely thick armor and glass. Oku couldn't help but get caught up in the light show.

For the next hour, it was deathly silent aboard the bridge of the _Redemption_, save for the occasional order to get an update from the early warning system. This silence was almost immediately halted when one of the ensigns said something to Oku.

"Admiral," began the ensign, "We have a radiation readings nearby. It seems like someone is jumping into the system."

"Why the hell didn't we pick this up earlier?" replied Oku, now looking over the shoulder of the ensign.

"Because it came from within Coalition space, sir." said the ensign quickly.

"Fair enough. Who is it?" asked Oku impatiently.

"It looks like an ONI prowler, sir." answered the ensign.

Indeed it was an ONI prowler, staffed with Spartan Omega team. They had been given direct orders from the director of ONI that their presence was needed in Drexmont. They were even told that they were to assist the CSS forces there as best they could. They were not informed, though, as to what type of mission they were partaking in, or even who they were fighting. Yes, the obvious choice would be Insurrectionists, but Omega team and the 14th Fleet would be a bit overkill. The squad leader, Ben-723, had a hunch that Covenant Loyalist Remnants were involved. A tall man by nature, like most Spartans, he was well built, and his massive frame was only accentuated by the olive green MK. VII MJOLNIR armor he boasted. The armor was similar in appearance to the MK VI MJOLNIR, but boasted a more powerful shield, and allowed for a myriad of other useful instruments, including IFF, 25 m. range radar, low-light vision enhancement similar to the ODST's, and temporary invisibility (only 30 seconds, you can only use so much power for so long).

When they did exit slipspace, it was immediately clear that the director failed to inform the 14th Fleet that they were arriving. This was quite evident by the mere fact that all the guns of the fleet were aimed right at the prowler. It wasn't until the prowler, COR-259 _Bermuda_, identified itself that the guns aimed away and the Spartan team could board with the _Redemption_.

Nothing was said as the Spartans filed into the small Pelican transport. They all assumed their usual seats. One of them was in the back, sharpening their knife. Another was in the middle, counting the rounds of ammunition they had, and counting how many other weapons they had at their disposal. Another was standing at the front of the transport, waiting to leave the close confines of the ship. Ben was spending his time talking to the pilots, as he like to build a report with them before every mission.

When the Spartans landed in the massive hanger bay of the _Redemption_, they were met with looks of envy from all the troops assembled there. Most of them had only heard of the Spartan-IV's. They only heard stories, like Ganson's Raid, or the infamous Skirmish of Beuvire. While they were not as revered as the legendary Spartan-II's or III's of old, they were pretty damn close. The Spartans, knowing the layout of and Coalition Supercarrier by heart, made quick time to the bridge of the _Redemption_. When they arrived, they were met with angry looks from the apparent commanding officer.

"Who the hell sent you?" asked Oku hotly.

"That would be Director Ruckus of the Off-" began Ben before he was cutoff.

"Yeah, I already know who the director is, I meant to ask _why_ he sent you guys."

"He did not tell us sir." replied Ben, who was beginning to get a little irritated over Oku's almost hostile attitude.

"So all you guys were told was to come by the middle of nowhere to meet the 14th Fleet and kill somebody?" asked Oku while raising an eyebrow.

The Spartans simply nodded, and that was all they had to say.

"Fucking great." began Oku, "We were told that a sizable Insurrectionist force was incoming to the Drexmont System, and our arrival was paramount to insure they didn't take this shithole."

"And they've yet to arrive?" asked Ben.

"Or they aren't coming." replied Oku, who returned to looking out the massive window.

The supersoldiers joined him, although it could not be ascertained where they were looking, because of the polarized helmets. Yet again, the bridge was bathed in silence, although, this time, everybody was simply trying not to stare at the Spartans.

For the ensuing ten minutes, all was quite in the bridge of the _Redemption_. The only sounds made were by the sailors on deck typing into their terminals. This silence, though, was almost instantly broken by an alarming noise emanating from one of the terminals. Oku neared it as the ensign read its contents back to him.

"Ships in system. Number of Vessels-76. Classification-Unknown. Origin-Unknown. Current location-grid 12A, 4C, 19G (Outer limits of the Drexmont System). Time of Arrival of Current Location-20 minutes."

"Holy shit!" whispered Oku to himself as he read the specs over the shoulder of the ensign, who was at a loss for words.

After Oku regained his senses, he said "How, in the name of the Forerunners, did these ships get past our early detection system?"

"I haven't the foggiest idea sir." responded Lucas, "The system didn't even see them coming. They must use some other form of FTL travel."

Oku thought about this for a minute. For the duration of that minute, everybody was looking at him, knowing the decision he would have to make.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of silence, he said "Initiate HARVEST Protocol. Inform Unity that we have ships of unknown specifications in system."

Lucas trembled at the thought of sending one of the dreaded HARVEST Protocols to Unity, knowing what it meant. Nevertheless, he fought through the fear that gripped him and began typing into the terminal as fast as his fingers could go. While he went, the bridge was engulfed in a heavy silence, everybody thinking the same thought 'Will I return home?'

Then, the message popped up on the screen indicating the message was sent and soon the Coalition would know they had made contact with more sentient species in the galaxy. Oku, once he received confirmation that the message was sent, began barking orders to the bridge crew to form up the fleet in defensive positions.

While this was happening, the Confederate ships moved methodically towards the Coalition ones, never breaking from their formation.

"Sir, they're at 100,000 Kilometers, and closing." said one of the ensigns to Oku, who was going through the memories of the war videos about the defenders of Harvest, and the beginning of the Human-Covenant War. He clenched onto the nearby rails, and held on so tight it appeared that his knuckles were white.

Oku's fleet was arranged so that the ships with the MAC guns were in a wedge formation at the forefront of the fleet, with the _Redemption_ at the head. The ships with energy projectors formed another wedge behind the front one, ready to 'snipe' the other ships with their powerful weapons. The Confederate fleet, on the other hand, was moving in line formation, with the strongest ships in the middle, and the weakest, smallest ones on the sides.

"Sir, their stopping at 75,000 Kilometers, and turning to their port sides." reported the ensign to Oku, who had yet to release his grip on the rail.

The fleets stood there, staring each other down. The bridge of the _Redemption _was awash in mournful anticipation. Finally, the silence was broken when the Principle Weapons Officer reported "Sir, I have massive spikes in energy readings. They're about to fire!"

Oku, almost instantly, told the crew immediately near him to "Fire at will!"

Before the Confederates could get off one shot, the MAC guns on the ships nearest them opened up, causing the glass viewports to automatically polarize to ensure no one was blinded by the flash of light from the ejection of the massive projectile. When these rounds, which closed the gap between the two fleets rather quickly, met their targets, the Confederate ships were almost completely unprepared. Their shields were designed to withstand plasma and laser based weaponry, not kinetic-force weapons. All the ships that were fired on were almost completely destroyed. Many of them were bisected by the MAC rounds, and exploded in a fiery display of power. Others had the MAC rounds go through them at non-essential areas, but still causing devastation. Of the eighteen MAC rounds released, all made contact with a different enemy ship, and caused some measure of damage. The Confederates had eleven ships either destroyed or out of commission right off the bat, and another ten partially to extremely damaged, but still capable of fighting.

The remaining Confederate ships returned fire, releasing plasma bolts as big as skyscrapers upon the comparatively small fleet. Oku looked in horror as the massive bolts of super-heated plasma closed in on his fleet. The majority of the rounds made contact with the front "wedge" of the formation. The capital ships suffered no damage themselves, losing almost half their shields in some instances. The other ships, though, did not fare as well. Of the ten frigates, three were destroyed completely, in missive nuclear explosions. Another two were damaged, but could still fire at least half of their ordinances. Of the eight destroyers, three were destroyed in a similar manner as the frigates, and another one was damaged badly. The other ships, though, survived relatively well off with varying amounts of shielding remaining.

The Confederates continued to fire, sporadically, and still caused immense devastation. Another destroyer, two frigates, and battle cruiser were added to the growing number of lost ships. Oku's own ship had their shields down to 60% before another salvo could be fired. This time, the third salvo of the battle was unleashed by the rear "wedge", as the energy projectors came to life and fired upon the Confederate ships. Their shields, while more geared for this type of threat, could not withstand prolonged exposure, and within a minute's time, all of the ships originally fired upon had been either damaged or destroyed. During this apparent destruction, one carrier, two frigates, a destroyer, and battlecruiser were lost. The Confederate weapons were exceptionally powerful.

Even though they inflicted heavy casualties, the Confederates were now down to only a handful of ships remaining, and thus tried to jump out of the system.

"Sir, it appears that they are trying to leave." reported one of the ensigns upon the sight that the opposing ships were beginning to maneuver to face the opposite direction of the fleet.

"Fire on what appears to be their engines with missiles or plasma torpedoes." ordered Oku, who had since released his grip on the rail and was standing near the Tactical Display of the system, which showed holographic displays of his ships, highlighted in green, and the enemy vessels, highlighted in red.

The missile bay doors to the _Redemption_ opened up, and fired a salvo of missiles directly at the blue exhaust ports of the fleeing Confederate ships. Once they made contact, they all exploded brilliantly, utterly destroying the engines of the opposing fleet.

Oku then turned to Ben, who had been silently observing the battle since it began, and issued him an order.

"You and your team infiltrate that ship." said Oku, while pointing to a ship on the holographic display. It looked like a ball, or sphere, surrounded by a halo, or ring, but with the front side missing and the ball is connected at the back.

"Our readings show that that ship is giving out the most radio waves, and we can thus conclude that it is likely to be the capital ship. Get in there, hack into anything resembling a computer, and find whoever is leading this attack. Understood?" Oku said, while looking intently into the Spartans gold visor.

"Yes sir." responded Ben, as he motioned for his team to follow him.

"Here, before you leave, take Francis," said Oku as he handed Ben a small chip with a hole in the middle, "He'll prove to be invaluable."

Ben instinctively placed the chip in the slot in the back of his helmet. The all too familiar cold rush of air accompanied him as the smart A.I. began adjusting to his new surroundings.

"Should I feel excited to be the first A.I. to touch alien code after the Great War?" asked Francis.

"Probably a little but don't let that get in the way of the mission." responded Ben out loud, giving the appearance that he was talking to himself.

Once Ben had finished saying that, the Spartans made haste to the hanger. Ben informed them of the mission and their call signs (Omega-1, 2, 3, 4, and 5). When they reached the hanger bay, they looked upon their Pelican. Its sleek, black design and paint job said enough about its purpose. The rear door opened to reveal the ship just as they left it, empty save for the pilot and co-pilot.

When the Spartans boarded the ship, the pilot chimed in "This is Shadowhawk Actual, are we ready for takeoff?"

"Yeah, we are." responded Ben, who had taken a seat by himself at the rear of the troop carrier section, near the ramp.

The Pelican soon closed the rear door and took off for the designated ship. Traveling at quite a quick pace, it soon was quarter the way there. It was at this moment, though, that the hostiles deployed fighters to respond to the boarding action.

The pilot quickly spoke into the com unit and said, "Shadowhawk Actual to command, carrying precious cargo, requesting immediate assistance."

"Shadowhawk Actual, this is command, request granted." they responded.

* * *

><p>15 March 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 17:17:34<p>

CSS _Redemption_, Orbit of Drexmont, Drexmont System, CSS Outer Colonies Sector 6

Corporal Jake R. Barir of the 8th Carrier Air Group was by all measures an excellent pilot. He had served on the supercarrier _Redemption_ for little more than a year, and knew the ins and outs of the ship like the back of his hand. His proficiency in the cockpit was also undisputed. He was the first in his class to master advanced areal maneuvers in the third week of his training, and was then placed in an advanced training program. From there, he proved able under fire, unusually calm, and a born commander. He was a natural for squadron command, and was given it without any protest from anyone higher or lower than him.

"Alright boys and girls, listen up," began Corporal Jake R. Barir of the 8th Carrier Air Group, "We're going to be escorting Shadowhawk Actual, which is carrying some of our best boys, to that big ball and ring out there. This alien enemy thought they could roll over us without a fight. They thought we would be pushovers. As personal representatives of the proud Navy of the Coalition, let's show them how wrong they are!"

Corporal Barir continued, "We're going to smash their fighters apart, and clear a way for our Spartans to board the enemy ship, and find out who these sons of bitches are! Am I right airmen?"

"Yes sir" responded the eager airmen as they began boarding their Liberators and Phoenixes, and prepping their planes. After their check was complete, They, individually, took off from the carrier, through the exit points at the front of the massive ship.

"Tower to Firefly Lead, you're good to go." reported the "tower" to Barir.

"Firefly Lead launching in three...two...one...go!" said Jake as the plane was ejected out of the ship and into the vast void of space in a matter of seconds.

His engines kicked in, and he was maneuvering his ship around the _Redemption_ with the rest of his squadron, who had already launched from other exit points.

"Tower, this is Firefly, requesting permission to engage hostiles, over."

"Permission granted Firefly. Good luck, over."

"Alright gentlemen, form up on me." ordered Jake to his squadron of five fighters.

The group of five had then formed a v-formation, with Jake at the lead, and they headed into the developing dogfight. Jake had already discovered through chatter that the enemies were relatively easy to deal with, but if they get more than five or six shots off, the shields of the Liberator will fail and the pilot would be, for a lack of a better term, fucked. He had also discovered that the enemy fighters, while not too bright, did learn to group upon individual fighters and pick them off one by one. This meant his strategy was to stick together with his squadron and escort the Pelican, which had retreated from the developing dogfight.

"Shadowhawk Actual, this is Firefly, we'll be your guardian angels, over."

"Firefly, thanks for the assistance, out." responded Shadowhawk, as its engines revved up and began following the fighter group as it tried to go around the mothball of fighters maneuvering around each other.

Unfortunately, the squadron was not lucky enough to avoid the onslaught of the Confederate fighters, as a group of them neared the group from behind.

"Lead, we have hostiles approaching our 6, over." reported Five, who had detected them on his long range radar system.

"Four, Five, engage hostiles then return to formation, out." ordered Jake to the rear guards.

In accordance with their order, they peeled off from the formation, and faced the oncoming enemy, which numbered in ten ships total. While the tri-fighters were solely equipped with one laser cannon to end off enemies, the Liberator was much better off. Each Liberator was given a total of four LRM's (Long Range Missiles), and had two rotary plasma cannons, which ensured that overheating as a result of firing for an extended period of time was almost unheard of. The tri-fighters were also not lucky enough to receive any personal shielding, relying solely on numbers, were as the Liberator was built for quality.

Four pressed several key buttons which resulted in bomb bay doors opening to reveal two pairs of missiles, previously hidden inside the ship. The missiles were relatively long, at least two meters in length, and had four rotary fins in the back for use in atmospheric environments. It was tipped with half a kilogram of high explosives, and was specially designed to penetrate 15 centimeters of the densest metal's known to the Coalition, save for the Forerunner's own metals. It was equipped with a small radar array to detect where a target may be if it maneuvered, and so it knew when to detonate if it penetrated armor and was inside a ship.

"Foxtrot, Foxtrot, missile two away!" announced Four as one of his missiles launched from its container and streaked towards one of the incoming fighters, still at least half a kilometer away.

Once the missile made contact with the tri-fighter, its hull attempted to withstand the kinetic force of the projectile, but in the end, this noble effort proved fruitless as the missile penetrated it mere milliseconds later and exploded inside, obliterating the ship. After this occurrence, Five and Four fired the remainder of their missiles at the oncoming threat, and destroyed all but three of them (one of the missiles missed the target narrowly and was unable to acquire the target). After all the missiles were exhausted, the Liberators sped up to meet the remaining enemies head one. Once within only a couple hundred meters, the Coalition fighter pilots opened up with their plasma turrets and destroyed two of the tri-fighters rather quickly. The remaining one, which had skillfully avoided the super-heated plasma, turned around so as to be on the 6 o'clock of Four.

"Four, you got him on your tail." reported Five as he looked back to see the tri-fighter trying to line up a shot on Four.

Four, in response, began moving erratically to avoid the shots fired by the Confederate fighter. He dove down, pulled up, spiraled around, and did every "areal" maneuver to avoid being shot. But still, the tri-fighter was deadly accurate, and succeeded in getting several shots off. Four's shields were down to a mere 20% when Five, who was desperately trying to get a good shot off on the tri-fighter, was able to get one of his plasma bolts to connect with the hostile. The purplish ball of superheated plasma left the barrel and traveled at an astonishing rate. When the bolt of plasma made contact with the hostile, it was engulfing in flames, leaving only scattered debris.

"Lead, hostiles eliminated, returning to formation, over." said Four over the com unit as he and Five began moving back to the formation.

"Four, welcome back, out." responded Jake, who was leading his squadron of fighters around the dogfight to avoid another confrontation with a group of tri-fighters.

Once the group was whole again, they made way to the believed capital ship. The closer they got, the more it seemed to expand, and soon engulfed the fighters windows, making them indistinguishable from the rest of the hulking ship. Now that they had gotten close to the ship, they were working to avoid the apparent point-defense systems of the vessel, which fired a similar ordinance as the fighters and other ships. It was apparent that this faction used exclusively plasma based weaponry, another important revelation that would become useful in the ensuing war.

Enough about the obvious merits of discovering how the weapons of the enemy work, back to the Spartans. As they neared the break in the ring around the sphere, the team noticed that the opposite side had an opening, similar to how Covenant hangers used to operate, with an open hatch and clean air on the inside kept there through the use of a shield.

"Lead to Shadowhawk Actual, it appears that you can just fly in the hanger. We'll be peeling off now to engage more fighters. Good hunting, over."

"Firefly, thanks for the assistance, out." responded Shadowhawk Actual, which had maneuvered to avoid another barrage of plasma from a nearby turret.

The Pelican's pilot sped up the ship, making the occupants hold on to something so they wouldn't fly back. Sweat was covering his hands as he delicately moved the ship around the enemy turrets, trying to avoid the plasma bolts coming from both them and the fighters that had noticed his effort.

"One hundred meters to go, so unbuckle your seatbelts." said the pilot over the intercom as he leveled out the transport in preparation for landing.

Little did he know that a tri-fighter had locked onto one of the engines of the Pelican, and released a three "round" burst of plasma. The Pelican, now upgraded, came with personal shields, but they were specialized against small arms fired, not fighter or point-defense weapons. When the plasma bolts came close enough, a gold sphere encompassed the ship, effectively stopping the first two rounds. The third one, though, broke through the shields, and hit the left engine, causing the piece of machinery to be engulfed in flames as it tried, desperately, to come back to life. It failed in that regard, and soon the Pelican was sent into a spiral. The Spartans inside were thrown every which way. Were it not for the fact that they were Spartans, they would not have survived that ordeal in one piece. The ship, as a result, was more damaged by the Spartans than the other way around. But, no Spartan can survive the inside of an exploding Pelican, nor could any living being.

"Crew, this is your captain speaking, we're encountering minor turbulence, so on my count, please ditch the vessel so as to let me land it safely in a nearby burning crater." said the pilot as the ship broke through the hanger shields of the hostile ship and lowered the back door.

"Alright, three...two...one...jump!" said the captain again as he began leveling out the damaged dropship over a group of fighters in the hanger.

The Spartans jumped out of the ship as it circled above, and soon was shot by a rocket, engulfing the ship in flames. The Spartans, having no time to mourn the loss of a truly good pilot, spread out into firing positions in preparation to face the enemies.

"If they're anything like those fighters out there," said Will-823 (demolitions expert), scorch marks ordaining his olive green armor on every piece, including the left side of the helmet, while pointing out the hanger and into the dogfight still raging outside, "then this will be a walk in the park."

* * *

><p>15 March 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 17:34:38<p>

Unknown Hostile Vessel, Orbit of Drexmont, Drexmont System, CSS Outer Colonies Sector 6

Massacre. Massacre is probably the best way to describe the condition of the defenders of the unknown hostile ship's hanger. When faced with a team of five Spartans, they didn't stand a chance. At first, the elite soldiers didn't know how to react upon the revelation that these enemies were simply robots. Stupid robots, but robots nonetheless. Ben was the first to fire upon the advancing defenders. His BR, with its distinctive three round burst ringing in the ears for all to hear, opened up on the advancing enemy, and tore apart the robot he was aiming for. The attachment that connected the head to the torso was completely destroyed as the head fell to the ground with a very distinctive _thud_.

"These guys go down easier than grunts." said Ben as he shot at the chest of another one, who quickly fell over under the strain of heated rounds.

"That's an insult to Unggoy everywhere, comrade." resounded Dimitri (Ruse)-481 (Technician), his armor the typical Mk VII, save for the two combat knives that were holstered in two brown leather sheathes on his left shoulder and under his right armpit.

These droids were sickly looking in appearance, having almost grotesque looking thin limbs, and a small torso connecting it all together. They had a tan looking paint style, with red markings covering their bodies in various areas. They had an "arc" looking head, with two black spots where the eyes should be. They all carried some kind of rifle that fired plasma bolts. They weren't the most accurate bunch, though. Novices, just handed a rifle of any kind, could probably be more accurate than this sorry buckets of bolts. They also lacked any kind of tactical mind, failing to perform even the most rudimentary kinds of maneuvers. Of the thirty defenders that faced the Spartans, all were decommissioned within a matter of sixty seconds.

"Alright Spartans, form up on me." ordered Ben, while circling his fist above his head to indicate to everybody that they are to regroup.

The other Spartans dutifully followed his command, circling the squad leader, lowering their weapons, and waiting for further instructions.

"From the looks of it," began Ben as he kicked the body of a former droid, "these guys are pushovers, but there are bound to be more of them. If we divide, it is much more likely that we get overwhelmed. So, we stick together, and find the bridge."

Ben then began moving up a staircase, across a catwalk, and towards one of the doors present in the hanger. He was pleasantly surprised to see it automatically open for him. The other Spartans followed Ben up the stairs leading to the door, through the door, and raised their weapons in preparation to fire on any new enemies. Once everybody was through the door, which lead to a small, poorly light room, containing, at the center of the room, a giant _thing_, surrounded by four consoles, the door closed. In each console was a droid, as seen earlier, but instead of the red coloring that decorated their bodies, these ones were yellow.

Ben whispered to his team, "Open fire on three...two...one...NOW!"

Just as he commanded, the squad of Spartans opened up on the unsuspecting droids, destroying them all in a matter of seconds. Unfortunately for the supersoldiers, though, they had failed to notice a ceiling mounted turret aiming right for them. It came to life, firing in rapid succession. It had aimed for Omega-3 (Ron-590, Sniper), a Spartan who had a smaller build than his brothers and sisters, but was notorious for being deathly quiet when moving around and having a penchant for stealth kills. The turret whittled his shields to a mere 33% before the combined firepower of the squad allowed for the destruction of the turret.

"Francis, can you hack into this system?" asked Ben as he neared the pillar at the center of the room. It had been revealed to him upon closer inspection that it had a console in the front of it, allowing access.

"I should be able to, just get me close to the console." responded Frances.

Ben, in turn, pulled the slot out of the back of his helmet, and placed it close enough to the console to allow Francis remote access to the system. A blue projection of a male soldier from the Revolutionary era appeared, and reached out to touch the console itself.

"I should be in, in just one...more...minute...and...there!" said Frances as he disappeared into the terminal.

As soon as the A.I. was immersed in the intricate code of the machine, various windows, of many different subject popped up into the monitor, revealing far more information that a human brain could take in at once. Thankfully, though, this limitation did not extend to Francis, as he was able to decode the language, and understand what every document was saying in a matter of five seconds.

"Interesting...interesting. This appears to be an auto-turret control center, at least for this section of the ship." said Francis as he continued to riffle through the files available on this computer.

"Well that's all fine and dandy Francis, but can you please help us out?" asked Ben as he neared the console and looked into the monitor.

"Yes." responded Francis, "While I direct the auto-turrets against the fighters and bombers, I can access other systems and seal off sections of the ship, turn the auto-defense systems against the defenders, and lead you to the bridge."

"Go right ahead Francis." said Ben as he began walking away from the console.

"Omega team, form up." said Ben commandingly as the door nearest him opened up to reveal a polished, silver colored hallway.

The Spartans, as soon as they crossed the threshold into the hallway, were met with a myriad of droids, this time supported by a different variant from the ones they had thus far encountered. Mixed in with the regular, push-overs were much taller, blue colored behemoths, who sported their weapons on the hands themselves. Their limbs were similarly thin and terrible looking, but their torso was much bigger, and their head was directly connected with their bodies, lacking any neck. The new ones were much more aggressive, willing to kill their comrades simply to get a good shot off. That didn't mean they were significantly smarter, or more accurate than the others though, but they were much tougher. While it only took roughly three shots from a BR to bring down the more common enemies, it took at least twenty-one shots from a BR to bring them down. This, coupled with the lack of cover in the hallway and the numerous droids, made the ensuing firefight much more frantic.

"Open fire." ordered one of the droids, with an ugly, mechanical voice.

Almost at once, the droids opened up on the group of five Spartans, sending their shields down to 50% at their lowest before the Spartans could reach the doorway again and take cover behind the frame. The droids pressed their assault, moving forward at a terribly slow pace. The Spartans took advantage of this, firing pot-shots at the approaching droids, sending more than a few down. These few, though, were quickly replaced by others. There were simply too many, and the Spartans would be overwhelmed before they made it through this one hallway.

"Francis, seal off this hallway, now!" ordered Ben as he crept out of cover to fire on a close battle droid, sending it flying back into a group of them with his rounds.

"I'm already on it." he responded.

This was quickly met with the familiar sound of closing doors, revealing Francis's efforts were not fruitless. This still left a sizable number of droids though, who were still moving forward, undaunted.

"Omega-5 (Greg-905 Demolitions expert), use the GL, plasma setting."

"Happily sir." responded Greg -a Spartan with an almost sick sense of humor and a love of anything that goes boom, he had an above average build for a Spartan, rising over the tallest of the members of his squad- as he pulled out his grenade launcher and fired the plasma grenades attachment at a group of enemies.

Both the grenades attached themselves onto one of the common droids and a nearby larger one. Before exploding, the droids yelled in protest, trying desperately to pull the grenades off themselves. Within four seconds, explosions rocked the ranks of the droids, sending the ones nearest the grenades flying in all directions. The EMP created by the explosion caused the rest of the droids in the hallway to automatically shut off, ending the firefight.

Ben looked out, around the frame of the door, fully expecting to be met with a sea of plasma from the defenders. He was met, instead, with eerie silence and flowing electricity from the wounds of the fallen droids. Blue electricity leapt across their bullet holes, from the intricate wiring inside the robots, and into the floor, distributing the flow of electrons throughout the metallic floor. He cautiously stepped out of cover, followed closely behind by his squad, and moved down the hall.

"Stop at the door at the end of the hall." ordered Francis as the lights displayed above the door turned from red, like most of the others, to blue, "Then make a left."

Once within five meters of the door, Ben raised his right hand while clenching his fist, indicating that his team should stop. He then switched to two raised fingers, and motioned for Omegas 4 and 5 to take position on the sides of the door. Greg and Ruse soon assumed their respective positions, and Ron backed up, aiming down the scope of his sniper rifle, waiting to open fire. Ben, backed up by Omega-2 (Kim-649, Rifleman(woman?)) -a supersoldier whose short stature was only "surpassed" by that of Ron, but who was as reliable as any other in a tough situation, and could run with a speed unmatched for any Spartan IV- slowly and quietly walked closer to the door, guns raised.

The door opened quickly, revealing yet another long hallway. Ben and Kin entered cautiously, and fully expected another group of droids to meet them. They were instead greeted with a quietness more typically found in the vacuum of space.

"Did I forget to mention that all the hallways from here on out will be clear of hostiles?" asked Francis mischievously.

"Snarky bastard." silently said Ben as he motioned for the rest of the group to form up on him.

Once they were all assembled in the middle of the hallway, Ben ordered that they jog the rest of the way.

They made haste down the ensuing hallways, moving at speeds normal humans would fail to even come close to achieving for more than a minute. Finally, after over half an hour of jogging, they arrived at the door separating them from their objectives.

"This is the last door to the bridge. On the other side is a garrison of thirty plus droids, all ready to meet you." said Francis to the group as they needed a dead end.

Even though they had all gotten augmentations as a requirement to be a Spartan, even they had to catch their breath after running for so long in the truly massive ship. For the past half an hour, they had been moving as fast as possible, trying to reach the bridge before the defenders would make it impossible for them to take it. Ben took this time to see that the light displayed above the door was blue. Once everybody was done catching their breath, Ben ordered for Ron to take position behind the group and snipe the enemy and for Greg, Ruse, and Kim to take position on the side of the door as he would walk close enough to open it.

Ben walked, almost timidly, towards the door, looking to his sides to confirm his comrades were still there and ready. The thuds created by his heavy boot making contact with the metallic floor could be heard from far away, meaning any element of surprise was out of the question. Even though it was not seen through the stoic visor, Ben was sweating profusely, but still trying to maintain a calm demeanor. He then moved his left hand to his hip, right before the door opened, and readied an EMP grenade.

Finally, after what seemed like eternity, the door slid open, revealing a bridge teaming with droids either at their respective consoles or standing at the ready near the door. Ben, acting purely on reflexes, threw the EMP grenade as he dove behind a nearby wall outcropping. It took much longer than he expected for the droids to notice the new hostiles, and even longer to begin firing on the squad. Before the EMP went off, Ron was able to get off five shots in his magazine, utterly destroying six of the droids before they even noticed. The others still alive were consumed by the blast of the grenade and subsequent EMP. Unfortunately, the EMP grenade had an effective range of five meters, and the bridge was easily one hundred meters squared. There were still the other twenty some odd droids to worry about.

Ben's team rushed in immediately after the EMP went off, and began firing on all the nearby robots. Most of them fell within the first concentrated volley of fire, unable to handle the strain. Some, like the taller, blue ones, were able to get a few shots off before either being gunned down or sniped. After a mere thirty seconds, all the combatants, save for the Spartans, were laying in the ground, dead.

"Fan out and look for any survivors." ordered Ben as he began riffling through the room with his comrades.

They thoroughly searched thorough the room, under every available surface, and around every corner. Finally, after searching for five minutes, Ruse found a green skinned, dark eyed alien cowering under one of the terminals.

"I think I found who we were looking for comrades!" yelled Ruse while keeping his attention on the alien.

Ben immediately ran over and ordered, "Get him out of there."

Ruse soon grabbed onto the aliens robe, which he found was quite decedent for a commanding officer. He then pulled onto the robes, lifting the alien up and above Ruse, and lifting his feet off the ground.

"I'll give you whatever you want, just leave me alone." asked the alien desperately, pleading for his life with a strange accent that the Spartans had never heard of before, but still they were able to recognize the fearful tone.

"You speak English?" asked Ben, raising an eyebrow below his helmet.

"Sure, whatever you want, just leave me alone." continued the alien, now clasping his hands together and lowering his head slightly.

"Drop him Ruse. He's a prisoner now, and should be treated like one." ordered Ben, while still looking at the alien.

Ruse, albeit hesitantly, lowered the alien onto the floor, and let go of its robes. the green alien, purely out of instinct, began smoothing out his fine robes while trembling. How he completed the task with such fear eminent in his features and posture, which was hunched, was beyond anyone present.

"In the name of the Coalition of Sentient Species, you are hereby under arrest for unprovoked attack upon Coalition forces acting in a defensive manner. If you say anything, it can, and will, be used against you in a military court. You have the right to an attorney, and if you can't afford one, one will be provided. You have the right to remain silent." said Ben as he placed his hand on the shoulder of the alien and guided him to the hanger bay of the hulking ship.

"Command, this is Omega-1, we have the target, returning to _Redemption_, out." said Ben as he shoved the barrel of his gun in the back of the alien to get it moving forward.

"This is command, solid copy, over."

* * *

><p>15 March 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 18:20:18<p>

CSS _Redemption_, Orbit of Drexmont, Drexmont System, CSS Outer Colonies Sector 6

"So Francis," began Oku as he looked at the blue holographic representation of the smart A.I., "Give me the long and short of it."

"Well, where to begin." responded Francis.

"How about the beginning." said Oku as he began walking over to the window of the _Redemption_. He couldn't help but look at the massive clusters of wreckage from the battle, which had recently ended with the complete destruction of the remaining vessels of the 'Confederacy'. If one looked closely enough at Oku, one could swear that a small tear escaped his eye and traveled down his cheek before he quickly rubbed it off before anyone could notice.

"Well, after I finished scanning all the files they had on the capital ship, I can come to several important conclusions." said Francis, never averting his artificial eyes from the Admiral. The hologram replaced the musket he had been holding with a monitor of some kind as it displayed all pertinent information.

"First, this faction, the Confederacy of Independent Systems, is already at war with an organization known as the Galactic Republic. In fact, they seceded from this government about three years ago for various reasons. So far, the Separatists, as they are commonly referred to as, have been fighting a gradually losing war. Even though they had won several crucial victories, the war is still going against them in some places, and others there is a stalemate. Think of it like the First World War. The Galactic Republic would be the Allies circa 1917, the Separatists are the Central Powers, and we're the Americans. Make sense?"

"Yeah, continue." ordered Oku as he pondered the comparison.

"Second, their armies consist almost entirely of droids, save for a few instances where bounty hunters and other, less savory individuals have been used. Their numbers are as high as the billions, and their production capabilities far exceed our own. But, as evident by the havoc you reeked on their navy, and the overall effectiveness of the Spartans, we can conclude we are superior in almost all accounts. Save for the numbers factor, of course."

"Fucking great."Oku whispered before continuing, "Anything else?"

His mind was now preoccupied with the thought of waging a war with an enemy as massive as Francis was describing them as.

"Yes. Third, even though their armies are immense, their leadership leaves a lot to be desired. There are only a handful of good commanders of this faction. The rest simply rely upon numerical superiority. So, focus should be oriented on eliminating these commanders as quickly as possible to make this a quick war."

Oku didn't say anything in response, instead thinking about the number of people he could save with just a few assassination missions, and then letting the 'Galactic Republic' clean up the mess.

"Also, it should be noted that the other faction is relatively desperate to end the war as quickly as possible. While the Separatists are simply inferior to the Republic, it is not enough to make a quick and speedy war. Again, look at the First World War analogy. So, we can conclude that this Republic would be more than happy to make a new alliance."

"Alright, is there anything about the government of the 'Separatists'?" asked Oku, using air quotes around Separatists.

Francis looked back at the monitor his hologram was fooling around with, and looked up to say, "Not much, but there are some entries about some official known as 'Darth Sideous'. He seems to be the de facto leader of the Separatists, so that makes him an Ace of Spades, if you know what I mean. He has two apparent subordinates outside of the 'Confederate Council', known as General Grievous and Count Dooku, Ace of Hearts and Ace of Diamonds, respectively."

"Is that all?" asked Oku as he raised an eyebrow to accentuate his question.

"Nothing much, save for the weapons statistics, overall composition of the Navy, and other things, but I'm still working on the conversion factors for those."

"Good. Did you contact ONI yet? I'm sure they'll have a field day with this." asked Oku.

"Yes, as well as Geneva and Unity. We'll be officially at war by day's end."

"Alright, get back with me on that as soon as you figure out those conversion factors. You're dismissed." finished Oku as he turned around again to look out the window.

The blue hologram of the soldier make a hasty bow before fading into nonexistence, leaving Oku with the relative silence of the crew. 'This is going to be a long war.' Oku thought to himself as he looked back at the wreckage, now being cleaned up and moved by "tug-ships" away from the planet.

* * *

><p>15 March 2587 (CSS Military Calendar), 21:08:12<p>

Coalition Congressional Building, Unity, Concordo, Concordo System, CSS Capital Sector

"Please rise for the President of the Coalition of Sentient Species, Markus Vilnov." yelled the Speaker of the House over the discussion below from irate Senators and Representatives alike.

Immediate, without hesitation, all the squabbling ended and everyone in the massive room stood from their seats to clap for the President. He walked through an archway at the forefront of the huge room, which had a statue at the top of it. The statue was of Athena, holding both a sword in her left hand and olive branch in her right. Her head cocked to the right, looking down upon the hand holding the olive branches. Above Athena was another statue, this one of the Greek god Chronos, keeper of time, with a tablet in his hand and his head looking over his shoulder.

Once the President had assumed his position behind the podium above the room, with the Speaker of the House below him, his Vice-President to his right, and his cabinet on sitting with the Speaker, he began his speech.

"My friends, we all remember the horrors of the Great war, and the Great Schism. We all know what war has done to our respective species. We all know someone who was lost in at least one of the wars, someone who we loved, someone who we cherished. And after the last war ended twenty years ago, we all thought that was the end of it. We all thought we could live in relative peace and prosperity. Well, it seems we are predestined to fight again. It seems that the Fates have decreed that our path be the war path. Just a few hours ago, today, the 14th Fleet, stationed in the Drexmont System to intercept a possible Insurgent threat, was engaged by unknown hostiles. We tried to hail them multiple times, and still, they would not cease. This started a battle that would claim the lives of well over thirty thousand brave sailors."

"The decision before us is a relatively easy one to make, but that does not mean it will not be a burden upon our hearts. We have over thirty thousand reasons to wage complete and absolute war upon this new threat, the Confederacy of Independent Systems, from the Andromeda Galaxy. I, therefore, formally request that this, the 36th Coalition Congress, make a declaration of war upon the Confederacy of Independent Systems, as well as those who may assist them. It is our duty as leaders of this Coalition to defend the lives of innocents everywhere, and this Confederacy has shown they will not respect that mandate, instead opting to cause irreparable damage to the people of our galaxy."

"Years from now, when the dust has settled, and families reunited, tales will be told of our monumental victory over this threat to democracy and prosperity. Tales of heroism, courage, sacrifice, and victory will usher though meeting halls and bars alike. Years from now, people will look up to us for guidance when they face the same threats. When they must make the same decision. Let us give them proper guidance, and a lesson for all future generations to remember. That we are united under a common cause of freedom and prosperity for all. That we fight for security of our people, and that their lives and well being is our highest priority. May they remember that of us."

The Speaker then stood up and said, "All those in favor of war, cast your ballots 'yay', all those opposed, 'nay'."

Half an hour later, all the ballots were collected.

The Speaker counted them all and said, "Four hundred and two voted for war. None against. No abstentions. Resolution carries."

That last word was met with absolute, somber silence. The history books and poems written about this day forever remember the fact that instead of cheering and clapping, everyone was solemn in attitude. It was deathly quiet in the massive House Chamber.

Outside, a storm was converging above Unity, but not a drop of water had been spilled form the heavens yet. Instead, a deathly silence had ensued in almost all sections of the city, with the wind dying down. The air seemed to stop moving, and drop considerably in temperature. Off in the distance, near the distant horizon, lightning lit up the sky and thunder boomed.

Later that night, the president convened with his cabinet, and was busy talking war in the War Room of the Presidential Mansion. The figures in the room were all bathed in light, save for one, Director Ruckus. The room was centered with a large, round table in the middle of the ordained room, which was decorated with paintings, both old and new. The massive windows on the east side of the room, which on normal days gave wondrous sight of the Licentia River cutting through the center of Unity, were now being covered by blinds to block any possible spies, or press, from seeing what was going on.

"I think we should sent the 4th Fleet. Admiral Fram Yubce is quite aggressive, and would definitely prove to be a nuisance for the Confederacy." said the Secretary of Defense, Rtas Vadum.

"This maybe so," began Vilnov, "but I fear he wouldn't know just how to fight them. We should send Admiral Oku, as he is the most experienced with dealing with the Separatists in the galaxy."

"I agree with the president, Oku is the best choice." chimed in the Secretary of Interior, Nathan Yule.

"How's his diplomatic skills?" asked the Secretary of State, Lacmo.

"Decent enough, but we are going to need some real ambassadors to negotiate a treaty with the Republic." said the President in response.

"Aright, I can give him anyone he needs." said Lacmo.

"What about the Spartans?" asked the President.

"Omega-team will have to do for now. The other teams are spread out throughout the galaxy. It will take at least a month to reorganize them and send them on a fleet or transport to Andromeda." said Rtas again.

"Now what about our production quotas?" continued Vilnov, now directing his attention at the Secretary of Production and Education, Thomas Dromas.

"Well, with the service by requirement laws and war time production quota laws now in effect, we can assume that by the end of June, all our fleets and armies will be up to war-time strength." retorted Dromas

"Good. Has ONI uncovered any other useful information gathered by that A.I., Francis, I think its name was?" said Vilnov, now looking at Director Ruckus, or should I say the shadow where he should be.

"Nothing worth noting sir, but it is our top priority to find and eliminate the Ace of Spades." responded Ruckus, still bathed in the shadow created by the lights in the room.

"Well then, if that's all worth talking about," said Vilnov purposefully waiting so as to allow anyone to speak up, "Then this meeting is adjourned."

* * *

><p>Official Report Issued by Admiral Oku of the 14th Fleet<p>

Issued 24 March 2587 (CSS Military Calendar)

Preferred Tactics To be Used When Engaging the Separatist Enemy

While little is known about the Separatists threat, we can conclude some important things when fighting them based upon our experience thus far. These are not rules, but mere suggestions for the commanders when they fight the new enemy, and should be amended when new information is gathered.

When fighting the Separatists in the vacuum of space, it is found that the best tactic to employ is as follows. Form up the ships in your task force or fleet in wedge formation, with the vessels with MAC gun capabilities at the front, and the vessels with energy projectors in the rear. The energy projector has an effective range of over 120,000 kilometers, and the MAC guns have an effective range of roughly 150,000-250,000 kilometers, depending on the ship class, and the hostile in question. The Separatists, by comparison, have an effective range of their strongest weapons at roughly 60,000-95,000 kilometers.

So, it is apparent that the MAC guns need to be used first. The shielding of the Separatist vessels is geared more towards plasma-based weaponry, so our kinetic weapons should be extremely effective in combating them. One should use the largest vessels available to fire first,to eliminate as many hostile ships as soon as possible, then rely on lower tonnage vessels as they approach, to minimize the chance of evasive action on the part of the Separatists. Once they enter the threshold for effective range of Energy Projectors, they ought to be used immediately. It is found that, while the Separatists are more used to dealing with these weapons, they are still deathly effective, and can cause irreparable damage. After only thirty seconds bursts, it has been found, one energy projector can tear through the Separatists shields and begin obliterating enemy ships. To aid in bringing down their shields, Longbow Missiles are suggested if available, largely because missiles are found to be extremely effective in penetrating their shields.

By the time the Separatists can begin firing on anyone at an accurate range, they would have lost a considerable number of ships, but at close range, that is where they are most effective. Their plasma based weapons can take down the shields of a small ship in one salvo, and a capital ship in no more than four. Using every available advantage to win, even resorting to Shiva nuclear missiles, is advised. However, when such means are unattainable, the use of mass drivers is more advised, considering how effective they could be, taking as little as a handful of shots to bring down the entire shield system of smaller tonnage vessels, and then plasma turrets and pulse laser turrets to aid in the ships imminent destruction. However, such close-quarters tactics are only to be used if no other option is present. If possible, the use of cover or tactical and gradual retreat is advised to keep out of the effective range of the turbolaser batteries.

As for fighter/bomber effectiveness, it is shown that our fighters are far superior to that of the Separatists. Only on a few occasions was a droid fighter successful in outmaneuvering one of our own. It was only when superior numbers played a role when our pilots are in danger. The use of Spartans to board the enemy capital ships to deactivate the droids, is also recommended.

Overall, if a commander is to take anything from this, it is to engage the enemy at a distance, and use whatever necessary to destroy as many as possible ships before they can retaliate. Use fighters whenever possible, and as many as possible, to help in this endeavor. The use of Spartans, if available, is absolutely recommended.


	4. Chapter 3: Forged Alliance

Chapter 3: Forged Alliance

19:5 BBY

GNR _Resolute_, Hyperspace en Route to Arkanis System

"Well Admiral, how much longer till we enter real space?" asked Obi-Wan, his arms folded as usual, observing the long lines that were passing stars.

"If I had to guess, it would be in the area of around forty minutes." responded Yularen, who was himself observing his crew of clones doing their duties.

"May you remind me again of our overall strategy, admiral?" asked Obi-Wan, never averting his gaze. In actuality, he only asked because he needed to make sure he was ready for whatever his mission would be.

"Of course General." said Yularen in response as he moved closer to the Jedi general on the opposite side of the bridge, "We'll be exiting hyperspace near the edge of the system. From there, we send Tano to lead our fighters and engage the Confederates. Skywalker and yourself will try to locate where Dooku's ship is, board it, and capture him. Everything else will be my job."

Obi-Wan nodded, looked at the Admiral, and said, "Thank you again Admiral." before departing.

Obi-Wan made quick time to the elevator near the rear of the bridge section, and soon descended into the labyrinthine corridors that was the GNR _Resolute_. Because they were in hyperspace, and still half an hour away from battle, the crew were still relaxing while they could. Some clones, Kenobi observed, were cleaning their guns or knives, or playing games with their comrades. Those who were going about their business in the hallways made note of it to stop and salute the high ranking officer that Kenobi was. He, out of courteous habit, saluted back before continuing on his walk.

The General made it to room 1347, the meditation room, rather quickly, and was presently surprised to see his old padawan, Anakin, still meditating in there. As good of a Jedi as Anakin was, it was still an unusual sight to see him silently meditating to himself. Kenobi, out of sheer habit, probed into his friend's mind, only to discover a great myriad of thoughts swirling around. Emotions clouded his mind, and Obi-Wan was unable to discretely investigate what lay below them.

By now Anakin had noticed Obi-Wan poking around in his mind, and ended his meditation rather hastily.

The young man stood up, turned around, and looked at his former Master to say, "Welcome Master. Did you find anything worthwhile in my mind?"

"Not yet my friend." responded Kenobi, who was surprised Anakin was able to pick up on his snooping that quickly.

"Sorry if I was taking too long, Master. I have a lot to think about. Especially with the prospect of finally getting Dooku." said Anakin, who had never turned his gaze away from Kenobi.

"It's alright Anakin. I'm quite impressed you were able to pick up on my inquiries that quickly. And you are right to be nervous. Just don't let it get in the way. Remember the Code."

"Of course Master." said Anakin, now thinking of Padmé with the reminder of the Code.

The vile Code, he though. The thing making him and the love of his life remain in hiding, always looking over their shoulders. He would love nothing more but to simply end the hiding. To let the galaxy know that he was the first Jedi in centuries to marry. To him, it didn't matter. All that mattered was Padmé.

He had heard the rumors of his death from amused clones who wished to tell him of the civilians mistaken knowledge. He knew his wife heard them as well, and it killed him to think of Padmé alone, surrounded by those who didn't care about the loss she must have been feeling. But, the Outer Rim Sieges were almost over, as the Confederacy was getting ever so closer to defeat. He just knew if he could get Dooku, then this war was as good as over.

While Anakin was thinking of all this, Obi-Wan noticed the cloud again. Master Kenobi knew Anakin too well to know when he was thinking about something important. He just had to know what was in Anakin's head.

Kenobi asked, "What's on your mind Anakin?"

Anakin, his thoughts now interrupted, lied, "Nothing Master."

"Anakin, I know when you're lying. You know the Code explicitly st-" said Kenobi before begin cut off by Anakin.

"I know what the blasted Code says, and I'm tired of hearing about it!" yelled Anakin, tired of hearing about that damned document.

Kenobi paused for a minute, stunned by Anakin's outburst, then said, "Anakin. You shouldn't speak of the Code like that. If such an outburst was said in front of Master Windu, he would have you severely punished. I know how the war has taxed you, but you know to remain calm and passive, at peace."

"Yes Master. I am sorry. I must depart to the hanger to prepare my fighter. I'll see you there soon." said Anakin apologetically, trying to bow his head and not look Kenobi in the eye.

"Alright Anakin. We will talk about that outburst later." said Kenobi as he turned around and sat down, preparing to enter his own meditation.

As soon as the door closed, Anakin thought to himself '_Why in the Seven Corellian Hells would you say that! You almost unveiled everything. Stupid idiot._' He knew had he had the opportunity to say more, his marriage would have tumbled out. That was something Anakin didn't know if he could trust Kenobi with, nor any Jedi, even his padawan Ahsoka.

He shouldn't say 'padawan' anymore. She wasn't his to teach, as much as Kenobi is to him. They are still mentor and student, but in a more metaphorical sense, and not a literal one. She matured as well, reaching the age of sixteen a mere three months ago. Granted they celebrated with a raid on a Confederate outpost, but better that than nothing, he reasoned. Some even said she was more mature than Anakin, which was paradoxical to say the least.

By the time Anakin was done entertaining these thoughts, he was in the middle of the hanger bay, with some clones passing him some unusual glances before continuing with their jobs. He was so focused on his thoughts he happened to stumble into the hanger. Once Anakin had gained his sense of direction, he made haste to his personal vessel. A yellow painted Eta-2 _Actis_-class light interceptor. The ship was relatively small, and lacked any shields, but was incredibly fast, and had quite the firepower behind it for a ship of its size. Anakin thought it was as if it was made personally for him when it was unveiled. It had every characteristic he needed in a fighter. On the side of the ship were black paintings representing his kills, and they were extensive. More than he cared to count. As for the yellow paint job itself, Anakin maintained it was to symbolize his first pod race, or his first kill on Naboo, but most just believed it was to garner attention from enemies. That hypothesis is not outside the realm of possibility for Anakin, as most who knew him discovered rather quickly.

He picked up a tool, and began making his inspection of the vessel. He darted around it, probing every inch of it to make sure all systems were operational.

While Anakin was making his inspection, Ahsoka neared him, silently. But, even her instinctual stealth skills were not enough to avoid being noticed by her master. Anakin didn't even bother to turn his head.

He playfully said, "You really need to work on your sneaking skills."

"Or you need to be more engrossed in your work." Ahsoka snapped back, as she got closer to Anakin and knelt down to meet him as he slid out from under the fighter.

"What brings you here Snips?" asked Anakin.

"I heard about your little outburst." said Ahsoka, almost sullenly, like it was something everyone should be ashamed of.

"I guess word spreads quickly." said Anakin as he slid back under the fighter and continued his inspection.

"Yeah. You wanna talk about it?" Ahsoka said, looking at what little of Anakin was exposed, outside of the fighter.

"Not really. You should probably check on your own fighter. We only have ten minutes till we drop into battle." Anakin said, his voice slightly muffled because of the fighter between the two.

"Alright Skyguy. Remember, you can trust me. If you ever need to say something, I'm right here." said Ahsoka as she stood up and departed, leaving Anakin alone again.

Anakin thought about that last part. Could Ahsoka really be trusted, especially about what was really bothering him? He had to confine into someone, considering Padmé was gone for so long. He felt like he had to tell someone this war was too much for him to handle for much longer. The Outer Rim Sieges were inflicting quite a toll on him. Were it not for the fact that he needed to maintain a calm demeanor to keep any suspicion away, he would have given up a long time ago.

But, these depressing thoughts were forced out of his head as the intercom came to life. Anakin pulled out from under the interceptor to hear Yularen's message.

Yularen said "Notice to crew, we'll be leaving hyperspace in ten minutes. Everyone report to battlestations. May the Force be with us."

"I guess that's my cue." said Anakin to himself as he made final preparations for his flight.

Now, he mentally prepared himself for the mission before him. He went through, step-by-step, everything he had to do for this mission. Take off, fly with (more like escort) Kenobi to the Confederate capital ship, land in the hanger, and capture Dooku. Simple enough, but then again, these types of missions seldom followed the plan.

Then, he felt the same feeling that accompanied exiting into real space, and he knew the battle was raging. Immediately after leaving hyperspace, the ship was rocked because of the Separatists attack on the unprepared fleet.

Anakin wasted no time boarding his ship and beginning take-off procedures. Once his headset was situated on his head, he lifted the small fighter off the ground and took off for the hanger exit.

His fighter was immediately eclipsed by a massive battle going on between a smaller Separatists fleet and the larger, but unprepared Republic fleet. While observing the massive bolts of plasma shoot across the sea of empty space and make contact with their target, he was joined by Ahsoka.

"Skyguy, I'm escorting some bombers to attack that carrier and could use your help." asked Ahsoka as she maneuvered to avoid a group of tri-fighters who had located and engaged her.

Anakin didn't even bother to respond as he flew to engage the four tri-fighters on Ahsoka's tail. He lined up his sights, and opened up on the one furthest back. Green streaks exited his cannons and made contact with the tri-fighter, engulfing the ship in flames, only to have the flames end because of the lack of oxygen.

The other three fighters, though, took notice of this, and two peeled off trying to maneuver to Anakin's six o'clock. Anakin was better than this, and pulled off his pursuit to engage the fighter circling around to his right. He entered into an "areal" barrel roll with the fighter, continually circling around trying to get a shot off. It took longer than Anakin expected, and the other tri-fighter was now in the barrel roll.

This left Anakin with two choices. Either he remain in the maneuver, hopefully destroy the one in front of him, and hope someone comes by and takes out the one to his rear. Or, he could pull out and try something else. Anakin opted for the latter of the two, peeling off from the roll and moving towards a _Venator_-class star destroyer. The two tri-fighters, in turn, followed their prey.

He sped up, hoping to arrive at the vessel quickly enough for the point-defense turrets to come to life and help him. The tri-fighters, while not as fast as the maneuverable Jedi Interceptor, still were able to trail Anakin enough to keep him worried. The droids piloting the fighters finally got the chance to fire on the Anakin, and took it. Red bolts of plasma streaked pass Anakin's cockpit and into the void of space. Then, he was rocked from side to side as one of the bolts made contact with his fighter, hitting his right wing.

"Just a little bit longer." Anakin said to himself as he got ever so closer to his destination. The fighters continued to fire at the Jedi, but were not as lucky as they had been. Then, at last, Anakin was close enough to be protected by the point-defense turrets. The droids, foolishly, continued to follow Anakin, but were met with a sea of green plasma. The fighters didn't stand a chance.

Finally, with the hostiles off his tail, Anakin rejoined to dogfight that was growing incrementally with every passing minute. He searched frantically for Ahsoka.

"Where are you Skyguy?" yelled Ahsoka into the battle com, trying to search for Anakin as she maneuvered to avoid another series of plasma shots fired by the chasing fighters.

Before Ahsoka could even realize what happened, the fighters trailing her were obliterated in green bolts of plasma. Ahsoka looked around to find if Anakin's fighter had done the deed.

"Thanks." said Ahsoka as she circled around and returned to her bomber escort duties.

"Anytime Snips. Try to stay out of trouble." responded Anakin as he maneuvered to find Obi-Wan, who he felt was already in the midst of battle.

"Master Kenobi, do you read me?" asked Anakin thorough the battle com unit before having to engage a group of Vulture droids. No response was heard.

"Repeat, Master Kenobi, do you read me? This is Anakin. We have a mission to get on." Anakin repeated, now beginning to search within the Force to find his Obi-Wan.

He was still live, but quite nervous over something. Anakin had a gut feeling that he was in great danger, and quickly ascertained his general location. It was near a group of _Recusant_-class destroyers moving to fire on the GNR _Resolve_. Skywalker piloted his small fighter as fast as he could, avoiding every obstacle that stood in his way. His eyes scanned every fighter passing by, hoping the next one would be that distinctive red painted Jedi Interceptor.

Finally, off in the distance, Anakin noticed the interceptor he was looking for engaged with two vulture droids. He made haste to help out Kenobi, and soon found himself on the tail of one of the Vultures. It only took him a second to line up his shot, and he opened up on the droid with an almost never ending burst of green plasma. The Vulture droid was unable to handle such stress, and soon was completely obliterated in a ball of fire.

The other Vulture droid took notice, and fired its four missiles at Kenobi before peeling off to fight its new threat. Anakin did not repeat the same mistakes of before, and was successfully able to maneuver himself unto the six o'clock of the droid. It tried frantically to shake him, weaving in and out of massive ships, through hanger bays, around bridges, and even through the artificial canyons on the ships themselves. Unfortunately for it, though, it was not nearly as good of a starfighter as Skywalker, and within moments after entering yet another canyon on one of the _Venator_s, Anakin was able to lock onto the fleeing ship and fired three, two round bursts upon the fragile ship. The plasma made contact with the relatively weak hull of the droid, and it was engulfed in a ball of fire before crashing into the side of the small canyon.

"Master Kenobi, I believe this would be the best time to find Dooku." said Anakin as he located Kenobi and formed up on him.

"Really Knight Skywalker. I was thinking tomorrow would be best." Obi-Wan replied with enough sarcasm to cut with a lightsaber.

"If I had to guess Master," said Anakin as he piloted his ship in front of Kenobi's," I would say it is that one."

With that last statement, Anakin moved his ship so it pointed at a Bulwark Mark I Battlecruiser.

"I agree my friend. Let's hurry though, I don't feel like fighting another group of Vultures." said Kenobi through the com unit as he followed Anakin to the kilometer long warship.

The Jedi made note of it to avoid any other droids, and found themselves circling numerous vessels engaged in battle before finally nearing their target. Before either of the two entered the ship, forcibly, Kenobi probed into the Force to make sure Dooku was on that ship. As expected, the Force said he was.

"Anakin, if it wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience, CAN YOU PLEASE BRING DOWN THOSE SHIELDS!" yelled Kenobi as they got increasingly close to the ship. If Anakin didn't' bring down the shields, they would crash into them and become nothing more than vapor in the vacuum of space.

"On it Master." said Anakin confidently as he spiraled his ship around and opened up on the hanger shield generator. His ship's laser cannons fired long streaks of green plasma at the target, and it was completely unable to defend itself as it exploded in a magnificent display of energy.

Just as the hanger's shields disintegrated, the hanger doors automatically kicked in, trying to close off the hanger before any more air was lost. It was not fast enough, though, as the two Jedi were able to land safely in the hanger.

XXX

Orbit of Tatooine, Arkanis System, Arkanis Sector

"All bombers, form up on me." said Ahsoka over the battle com as she piloted her craft out of a developing dogfight between Republic and Confederate forces.

Ahsoka looked around to make sure her message was heard, and soon she confirmed it was, as eight NTB-630 Naval Bombers and twelve ARC-170's formed up behind her. She lead the motley group of fighters and bombers towards the only Droid Control ship in the area. As they got within 1,000 kilometers of the ship, a massive group of 25 Vulture and Tri-fighters peeled off from their guard duty of the capital ship and engaged the group.

Ahsoka skillfully maneuvered her ship to play a game of chicken with two tri-fighters. She opened up first, obliterating one of the fighters before the other could respond. The other tri-fighter pulled up before Ahsoka could line up a shot, and veered down to hit the Jedi from above. Ahsoka, being too experienced to fall for this, pulled to the right, and up, planning on hitting the side of the droid. This maneuver worked perfectly, and soon enough, the tri-fighter was nothing more than burning wreckage.

The other fighters in Ahsoka's group fared just as well, scoring two to three kills before even being hit. But still, of the twelve ARC-170's that joined her bombing run, only five remained after the fighters were dealt with. Of the eight bombers, six were spared thanks to the efforts and sacrifices of the fighter escorts.

"Alright bombers, you know where to hit." said Ahsoka as she pulled off of the bombing run to engage the fighters pouring out of the hanger bay of the massive ship.

Indeed, the experienced bomber pilots were well versed in the weak points on a _Lucrehulk_-class Droid Control ship, and let their payloads go with pin-point accuracy on said points. After but two runs over the surface of the ship, it was partially engulfed in flames. One of the bombers even succeeded in hitting the com relay, effectively ending the ability of the ship to control or coordinate with others. Unfortunately, these successful bombing runs came at the cost of all the remaining bombers, and three of the ARC-170's.

Ahsoka, feeling the battle for the Droid control ship over, ordered for all nearby fighters under her command to pull off and engage fighters elsewhere. The control ship, while in complete disarray, was still active and able to keep the droids fighting.

XXX

Bulwark Mark I Battlecruiser, Orbit of Tatooine, Arkanis System, Arkanis Sector

As usual, the defenders tasked with holding the hanger bay of the battlecruiser failed monumentally. The combined might of the two Jedi were more than enough to end them.

"Well Master, now that that's done with, where shall we find Dooku?" asked Anakin as he deactivated his lightsaber and re-holstered it.

"Close Anakin," said Kenobi as he did the same, "very close."

As if on cue, the door closest to them in the hanger opened up to reveal the Count supported by two B2 battle droids. The droids automatically pointed their arm guns at the two, waiting for further orders from their Sith Master.

"Well Master Jedi, may you please relinquish your lightsabers. No need to complicate things more than they need to be." said the Count in his usual almost cocky but ever so confident voice.

"You and I both know that isn't going to happen Dooku." said Anakin in a cocky manner to match Dooku's own.

Dooku scowled at this remark, and ignited his ruby red lightsaber from its curved hilt. Anakin and Obi-Wan, in turn, ignited their own blue lightsabers. For a moment, silence permeated the hanger, as no one dared move. The classic hum of the lightsabers filled the ears of everyone (except for the droids, of course).

Then, finally, the two super battle droids had had enough of the waiting, and opened up on the two Jedi. Neither Obi-Wan or Anakin had any difficulty with deflecting the red plasma bolts from the two massive enemies. The two spiraled their lightsabers frantically to deflect all the bolts of red hot plasma and soon enough, several bolts hit the super battle droids, rendering them ineffective.

Dooku, who had taken the opportunity his droids had given him, was approaching the side of the two, nearest Kenobi.

Dooku struck first, landing a precise strike down upon Master Kenobi's head. Obi-Wan narrowly deflected the sudden strike, having the lightsaber miss his hear by no more than a couple inches. He then retaliated with his own strike, much more broad and wide of a swinging motion than the Count's own precise stabs. Dooku had no difficulty blocking these blows with only one hand, and soon returned the favor to the Master Jedi.

Then, Dooku had noticed the sound of a moving lightsaber behind him, and skillfully blocked a strike coming from Anakin as he kicked Kenobi away. He then turned around to see his opponent, and began another series of strikes upon the less experienced Jedi.

Anakin had, surprisingly enough, less difficulty than Kenobi in blocking the Sith's strikes. Once Dooku was done making another series of strikes towards Anakin's head, the knight returned the favor by sweeping towards Dooku's mid-section with as much power as his arms would allow him. The count blocked this, only to send Skywalker's blade coming from above. He was not expecting this, and let his guard down to block this, allowing Kenobi to attack. The Master Jedi struck to the Count's hands to disable him, but was unable to make contact, as the Count force pushed Anakin away and blocked Kenobi's strike with shocking speed.

Dooku, realizing this fight would not end favorably for him, launched Force lightning against Kenobi and escaped out the door he came out of once the Jedi was thoroughly distracted trying to stop the lightning.

Kenobi tried to give chase, but as soon as the Sith passed the threshold of the door from whence he came, the control panel for it was utterly destroyed, going up in sparks and flames, by an invisible force, making any chase all but impossible. Kenobi, seeing Dooku successfully escape, ran over to assist Anakin up after he landed in a pile of mechanical equipment.

"I'm fine, go after him!" yelled Anakin as Obi-Wan neared. Anakin was visibly having trouble getting out of the pile of equipment.

"He's already long gone my friend. No use going on a wild bantha chase now." replied Kenobi as he reached out his hand to assist his fallen comrade.

Anakin thought this over, and then put his hand out to receive the help from his former Master.

Just as Anakin got up and they neared the hanger door to observe the continuing battle, Anakin saw out of his peripheral vision an escape pod jettisoning out of the side of the ship.

"Funny how his most consistent move is retreat, isn't it?" asked Anakin as they went through the door, saying so in a cocky manner.

Obi-Wan didn't know whether to reprimand his friend for his obvious arrogance or agree with him. He instead chose to say nothing, opting instead to enjoy the silence that greeted them. These moments of peace before the storm were too few and far between, in Obi-Wan's opinion.

The two Jedi stayed there, fixed in place, observing the unfolding battle with unmatched attention. From this distance, it looked like a harmless display of lights to amuse children. It was only when ships got closer to engage each other that the terrible truth of the horrors of the battle became ever so clear with the destruction of massive ships after being hit by gigantic bolts of super-heated plasma.

Unfortunately, their respite was disturbed when the all too familiar thuds of approaching droids broke the silence that had filled into the hanger since Dooku's leave. Both of them turned around to see a group of four droidekas approaching them from thirty meters away. The group maneuvered around the obstacles of fallen fighters, which had been burnt to a crisp, and aimed to take their shots. The two Jedi, in response, ignited their lightsabers and readied for the inevitable assault.

The droids, then, opened fire with everything they had. Even though the droidekas fired at a quicker rate than the main battle droids, the Jedi had little difficulty deflecting all the shots. Were it not for the relatively resilient shields protecting the delicate interior of the droids, they would have been defeated within a matter of seconds. But, those blue spheres proved to be impenetrable to their own shots.

Anakin, growing tired of this pointless battle, picked up a portion of a destroyed fighter laying nearby with the Force with one hand while blocking with the other, and sent it flying towards two of the droidekas who were standing close to each other. The charred husk of a former vessel crashed to the ground, flattening all that stood in its way. Obi-Wan, seeing how effective this was, did the same with another fighter part nearby. It too crashed down onto the ground, crushing the two remaining droids under the massive weight. Once the threat was dealt with, the pair turned their lightsabers off and began venturing into the bowls of the battlecruiser.

XXX

Bridge of the GNR _Resolute_, Orbit of Tatooine, Arkanis System, Arkanis Sector

"All power to forward shields!" ordered Yularen to the crew present as he saw a pair of proton torpedoes approaching quickly from a distance.

Several seconds later, when the proton torpedoes made contact, they were met with a golden obstacle that stopped them in their tracks mere meters from the hull of the _Resolute_, before quickly fading into nonexistence.

"Sir, shields at 60% and holding." reported one of the ensigns to Yularen, who was paying rapt attention to the developing battle.

Ever since they departed hyperspace no more than half an hour ago, they were engaged in a fight for their lives against a prepared and entrenched enemy. Even though they outnumbered the enemy by twenty ships, they were caught off guard and paying the price for it. Already, the once relatively mighty fleet was down to 28 _Venator_s up against around 25 Confederate vessels of various classifications. The Republic's fighter force was also devastated, suffering 35-40% casualty rates compared to the 60-70% for the Confederates. While they were technically ahead, it wasn't by enough for Yularen's tastes.

"Sir, we have an urgent signal from General Tano. Should I patch her through?" said the communications officer on deck.

"Of course." replied Yularen instinctively.

Once the blue hologram of the Jedi came into existence, it was evident she was tired and sweating. Even through the relatively poor quality of the hologram, it could be determined that she was drained after what have to had been some exhausting dogfights.

"Admiral, I am sorry to report that I was unable to ensure the droid control ship be destroyed. I hope you can finish the job." said Ahsoka as she looked around, probably searching for hostiles.

"Blasts! Sorry Tano, I can't spare any ships. Everyone else is occupied. You're on your own." said Yularen angrily.

"I'm sorry Admiral, but I have no bombers left. That thing stays until one of your ships blows it out of the sky." replied Ahsoka, who was beginning to feel the same anger, only to suppress it.

"Sir, I got something." began one of the ensigns as Yularen was formulating his next plan, "I detect a massive radiation spike three hundred thousand kilometers away."

"More Separatists?" asked Yularen, the fear building up in his gut at the mere prospect at facing another group of them.

"No sir. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. It's like a black hole was just created out of nowhere." said the ensign, visible confused by the tone in his voice.

"Sir," reported one of the other ensigns, this one dealing with radar detection, "It appears that there are some 'man-made' structures coming out of the event horizon. Boxy in appearance."

"Admiral! I have more of the anomalies showing up. They aren't black holes. They're rips in the space time continuum. By the Force, they're dozens of them! Now hundreds!" reported the original ensign, who was growing frantic by the second.

"Sir, the original anomaly has produced a complete ship. Here's the image." said the radar ensign as he produced an image of a very utilitarian vessel on the terminal screen.

Suddenly, the terminal was awash with images of various ships, some utilitarian, some more aesthetically pleasing, all massive and headed in their direction. Outside, in the vacuum of space, the battle almost immediately ended, both sides ending their ship based duels. Everyone was looking at the newcomers with amazement.

"This is weird. I have a radio signal coming from them on our channel. They seem to be hailing us." reported one of the other ensigns.

"Patch them through then." ordered Yularen, now feeling the gut wrenching fear he knew he shouldn't feel. He reasoned that if they knew what radio signal they used and wished to communicate, they come in peace. But why would they send several hundred ships for a diplomatic mission?

* * *

><p>25 March 2587 (CSS military Calendar) 17:29:12<p>

CSS _Redemption_, Slipspace between galaxies

Oku looked out into the swirling mass that was slipspace beyond the protection that the windows provided him. It was like a river, ebbing and flowing, with eddies at certain points that would make travel through it hell. The great cosmic river that enabled all of humanity, nay all of the galaxy, to travel to and fro faster than light itself. Upon reflection, it was almost poetic, as they had ascended to the technological capabilities of the gods of old, being able to be at any place in an almost instantaneous amount of time, perceptively speaking.

After Oku was done musing with these thoughts, it dawned on him that they were to exit slipspace soon enough, and engage any Confederate forces defending this system they were going to.

Oku didn't approve sending their first expedition to a desert world that had a low population and little importance. He thought the loss of life would not be worth whatever was gained. He personally studied the star maps found in the databases of the captured Separatist ship, and knew all major planets. He even went over some of the data stored in the ship, and was aware of some hotspots developing. He felt that it was his duty to go straight to 'Coruscant' the Republic capital, petition for an alliance, and give them the information on the Confederate battle plans. But, Coalition HIGHCOM wanted him to show his muscles first and display the full power of the fully staffed 14th Fleet before making any diplomatic moves.

Fully staffed. That's almost comical. The vast majority of the fleet that Oku was commanding, consisting of roughly two hundred ships, came from either the 4th Fleet or the 7th Fleet, who themselves were on guard duty until more ships and personal raised to make them to war time levels and they could be the second and third fleets going into Andromeda.

Now Oku couldn't help but think about the battle ahead. He had already formed up his fleet before taking off, with the same formation that he used in the first engagement. He also spent much time thinking of a strategy to use when he came across the fleet his Intel was telling him were there. He also reviewed the shapes and classifications of the Confederate ships, as well as all known republic ones, so he felt friendly fire was not likely. All he hoped for was that the Republic didn't find his force to be a hostile one.

The Admiral walked over to the intercom and said into it, "Attention fleet, we will be exiting slipspace in approximately twenty minutes. Move to battle stations immediately."

XXX

CSS _Redemption_, Slipspace between galaxies

Deep in the depths of the _Redemption_ was a gathering of troops around a Spartan who was retelling his adventures to the nearby crew. The Spartan, Ruse, was talking about Omega teams exploits on Harvest during an Insurrectionist attack in 2579.

"So I rounded the corner," said the Spartan to the attentive crew, "and there, sitting at a command center of sorts, was the target."

"So I leveled out my shot," he said while moving his hands up to hold an imaginary rifle, "and I noticed he was watching god damn porn on the command terminal. The sick bastard. Needless to say, he didn't finish."

After he was done, the crowd around him stood silent, waiting for another tale. Instead, they were greeted with the Admiral's announcement.

"Well you heard him brothers," said the nearest commanding officer, a Sangheili, moving his head to get a look at all assembled "Get to your battlestations like you lives depended on it."

Without hesitation, everyone nearby was up and about. Some Unggoy were moving to the turret control area. Another group of Kig-yar were going to the engine room, and some humans to the medical bay. Everybody had a job to do, and would perform it to the best of their abilities. The Spartan, on the other hand, made haste to the hanger bay where his team agreed they would meet when they would enter the battle.

He moved as fast as his feet would carry him, the augmentations doing all they could to accelerate the half ton behemoth that was the supersoldier beyond usual human parameters. He made his presence known through the heavy thuds that were emanating from his footsteps as he ran down the hall to make it to the hanger as fast as possible.

Finally, he reached the expansive hanger that housed all manner of craft ranging from transports to heavy bombers. Everything had its place, and everyone in the hanger bay he was in was working tirelessly to do their jobs, which themselves ranged from refueling to maintenance checks, to reloading munitions. Ruse noticed a Huragok pushing a cart carrying four missiles to be used in a nearby Liberator. Several Unggoy were working to carry a refueling pipe to a Liberator across the hanger. Even some pilots were assisting some crewmembers having trouble doing their job, truly showing the compassion the crew felt for each other, regardless of species orientation.

While Ruse was observing all of this, his commander, Ben, noticed him from across the hanger, and placed his hand to his ear to relay a message to his comrade.

"Hurry your ass up Ruse, we don't have all day." He said in his usual commanding tone.

"On it sir, just marveling at the cohesion." was Ruse's response.

"Admire it later you Russian s.o.b., we have a mission to accomplish." said Ben with the same tone, growing slightly impatient.

Ruse hurried over, and soon joined the rest of his squad, all of which were waiting in their usual seats in the Pelican. Ruse assumed his usual seat as well, and began trying to take his customary nap before battle. If it weren't for the golden visor blocking his face, he would have been severely punished long ago for his habit.

Unfortunately, as Ruse was just about to close his eyes, he felt the familiar vibration associated with the exit of slipspace, and knew his opportunity was gone. He opened his eyes to see the door to the Pelican closing. For a mere second, he and the rest of Omega team were basked in darkness before the red lights automatically turned on. This new source of light cast an eerie almost blood red tint on everything it touched. Ruse, personally, despised the color choice that the manufacturers had chosen, preferring a more soothing one. But, he also knew they were out for cost-effectiveness, and that red lights were probably the cheapest they could find and install.

He knew the Pelican was floating in the hanger, waiting for orders, then was pushed to the left as the Pelican raced out of the hanger into the void of space.

XXX

CSS _Redemption_, Slipspace between galaxies

"Sure as hell better than the shit they gave us back in basic." said Richard as he fed himself another spoonful of soup he got from the cafeteria.

"How, unfortunately, true." replies Fred, who was sitting nearby, enjoying some mashed potatoes and corn.

"But still not nearly as good as the food from my quaint village." said Francois, the nearby Frenchman who had befriended the pair since they arrived on the _Redemption_.

"You have the natural advantage of being from a French village. The only things you guys know how to do is cook and retreat." piped in Greg, another sailor the two ODST's befriended.

"Better to live another day and cook a good meal than live another day and cook a bad one." said Francois in response as he cut into the steak he chose to have for dinner.

"I'll give you that Frenchie." retorted Greg while sipping from the water he got.

Before anyone could say anything else, the group was cut off with Oku's message to the crew, and all of them dropped whatever they were doing to go to their assigned battlestations. Francois and Greg went in the same direction, both working the auto-turret defense grid, and Richard and Fred moved to the HEV pods close by.

By the time the pair reached their intended destinations, they were greeted with an almost completely empty room. Most of the other ODST's were in their bunks, trying to either find sleep or read something, and the bunks were on the other side of the massive ship. Fred parted ways with Richard to get in his designated HEV pod, which was eight down from Richards own.

Richard climbed into his pod, and pressed the button to close the thick glass door. It slowly lowered itself, and finally sealed itself, releasing a thick, white gas on the other side of the container. Richard mused with the notion that he was effectively being sent into battle in a coffin moving at rates normal humans shouldn't be able to endure. He, after finishing with that ever so sobering thought, checked all the computer terminals in his vicinity to make sure all was well. He made a short glance out of the HEV pod every time someone entered the room to get in their own pods.

Everything checked out, and all he could do now was wait for the order to launch.

XXX

CSS _Redemption_, Tatooine, Arkanis System, Arkanis Sector

Once the fleet entered the system, they observed the battle unfolding between the Separatist forces and Republic fleet. The 14th did not hesitate to move into attack positions, maintaining formation the whole time. Once they were 180,000 Kilometers away, they stopped, and waited for the order to initiate communications with the beleaguered Republic defenders.

"Patch us through to Vanguard-1." ordered Oku to his staff as he selected the vessel with the most radio signals emanating from it using the call sign given to the Republic forces he was to encounter.

"Yes sir." responded the communications officer, an Unggoy, as he typed away at his terminal.

Within moments, the main screen at the head of the bridge was displaying an image from the Republic vessel he requested.

The Republic officer seemed to be of a high rank, considering his medals. The way he held himself up seemed to show he was extremely confident, or maybe arrogant. Regardless, he spoke first.

"I am Admiral Yularen of the Grand Navy of the Republic. May I ask who I am speaking to and why you have interrupted our engagement with so many vessels?" Yularen inquired, a small amount of fear evident in his voice.

"I am Admiral Oku of the Navy of the Coalition of Sentient Species. Not too long ago, Confederate forces attacked one of our planets. We are here to fight them in war, and assist you if you need it." said Oku honestly, seeing no need to lie.

Yularen was taken aback by this. He was already dumbstruck by the fact they were humans and aliens he had never seen before here, but he suppressed that surprise, feeling it would be unprofessional to gawk.

He couldn't help but ask, "Where are you from?"

"The nearest galaxy to your own. Now will you allow us to intervene, or would you like to continue this unnecessary bloodshed by yourself?" asked Oku, now growing tired of Yularen's continued inquiry.

Yularen was now completely dumbfounded. Strange enough the Separatists traveled to another galaxy to wage war, but there were humans that they attacked. This was already, by a wide margin, the weirdest day he has ever seen, but that title would be taken away as the war would progress.

"I'll take that as a yes. Mark your targets and fire when ready men!" Oku said while still connected to Yularen, who was still at a loss of words.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the supercarrier he was on fired one of its MAC guns, impacting a _Recusant_-class Destroyer mere seconds later, bisecting the ship and sending massive explosions shooting our from the new openings as well as out any weak spot on the hull. The other utilitarian vessels repeated the process themselves, and sent a myriad of other vessels in the Confederate fleet down for the count, their reactors overloading and casting explosions that would engulf their nearest sister ships or cutting them into pieces. The smaller tonnage vessels of the 'Coalition' had to rely on two or even three hits to bring down the Separatists shields in some instances, so the commanders quickly worked out a way around this by ganging up on individual vessels, their Smart A.I.'s working in cohesion with each other in such a manner that only a computerized brain could achieve.

"Stop! I have two high ranking officials in that battlecruiser!" he yelled, drawing Oku's attention.

Oku knew exactly which ship the admiral was talking about, and ordered his men to spare it. The sailors obliged, and within seconds, gigantic flashes of light engulfed the view ports of all the ships present, as MAC rounds of varying sizes left their "barrels" at their respective percentages of speed of light to make contact with all but the battlecruiser. Just as Oku expected, the ships were completely unable to fend off more than one of the smaller MAC rounds, and were decimated under the pressure.

The remaining battlecruiser stopped in its tracks, just as Oku was expecting it to open fire on his fleet. 'Peculiar' he though, noticing the engines were cut offline.

Oku looked over to the image of Yularen, still present, and asked, "Exactly who is on that ship?"

Yularen quickly and nonchalantly responded, "The best Jedi at my disposal."

Oku had read the briefing on the Jedi, and knew a small bit of what they were, and their abilities. Oku had yet to decide how he felt about them, though, believing he should not judge until he sees them in action. It appeared that his request was granted, as the battlecruiser exploded in a awesome display of energy, and two fighters left the apparent hanger bay just as flames were licking at their hulls.

"Admiral, I believe I would like to meet you and your warriors in person. May I have access to your ship?" asked Oku.

"Of course Admiral. May I also have the good pleasure of seeing some of your best?" responded Yularen, happiness evident in his voice.

"Naturally." was all Oku said as he severed the connection and began moving to the hanger bay.

XXX

GNR _Resolute_, Orbit of Tatooine, Arkanis System, Arkanis Sector

As Oku descended down the platform of the transport he was carried in, the Republic greeting party couldn't help but be awe struck over the giants flanking him. They all wore olive green armor with a similar style, yet each had their own special touch to them. Their helmets were not too different from those of the clones, but instead of black eye ports, they had an entire golden visor covering their face. The fact they were also over two point three meters tall did nothing short but impress the Republic soldiers.

"You really did bring your best, huh?" asked Yularen as he stared at the lead soldier, his armor perfectly clean when compared to some of his squad-mates and who carried himself with a commanding authority.

"Well, while not numerous, Spartans are definitely my favorite weapon to use." Oku responded, pride evident in his voice.

Yularen assumed that 'Spartans' were these soldiers, and nodded in agreement.

Oku, who was more focused on the Admiral up to this point, just noticed the three brown cloaked and hooded figures nearing them. They then stopped, flanking Yularen, and lowered their hoods to revel their faces. One, apparently the oldest, was an aged white male with pale blue eyes, had a dark red, almost brown hair with a short beard and mustache. Oku also noticed the grey hairs starting to form on the main's head.

The Coalition Admiral then looked at the next male, white, with striking blue eyes, brown, scruffy hair, and a distinctive scar above and below his right eye. He seemed quite young, at least when compared to the previous man Oku studied, and quite battle hardened.

As for the last figure, which was not even human, but he assumed it was a she, and she was quite distinctive. She had what looked like two tails growing out of her head, blue eyes, and orange skin. While she seemed young by human standards, she still seemed battle-hardened, her blue eyes giving off the appearance of youth lost.

At first glance, Oku honestly thought they were the local priests when they entered the hanger because of their garb. Turns out he wasn't far from the truth.

"Hello Admiral," began the older looking one, his voice almost soothing, "I am Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master."

"This is my former apprentice, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker." he said, motioning to the younger looking male, who took a bow at his mention.

"And this is his apprentice, Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano." he continued, again, motioning to her as she took a bow.

"It is an honor to meet you. I've read a lot about you Jedi, although all we know is from the Confederate intelligence. They do not cast a good light upon you." said Oku humbly.

"Such a pity, I was hoping to be good friends with the Separatists." said Anakin sarcastically.

Oku hid a smile at this comment and continued, "So which of you two destroyed that ship by yourselves?"

"That would be us, Admiral." replied Anakin again while pointing to himself and Kenobi.

"That was, for lack of a better term, impressive. My Spartans would be more than capable to doing it, but for only two of you to succeed, that takes true skill, or experience." said Oku, now almost awestruck at the apparent abilities of these warriors.

"We've taken down bigger admiral. That was nothing more but a training exercise." said Anakin arrogantly before being silenced by Kenobi, who gave him a very distinct and dangerous glare.

"You know Master, you should probably give off a good impression on our new allies." piped in Ahsoka, as she received an angry glare from Anakin and a rewarding one from Kenobi.

"Regardless gentlemen, I would like to make it clear that I wish to make a formal alliance the Galactic Republic, and bring an end to this Separatist menace." Oku said, obviously disgusted when saying the word 'Separatist'.

"Of course Admiral. It would be our honor to escort you to Coruscant." said Yularen, hope filling his eyes as the prospect of the war ending entered his mind.

"Then so be it. We will being travel within the hour." finished Oku as he turned around to re-enter his Pelican with the team of Spartans flanking him.

XXX

CSS _Redemption_, Orbit of Tatooine, Arkanis System, Arkanis Sector

"God damnit! I didn't sign up for this shit!" yelled Richard as he left his HEV pod once the all clear was sounded.

"I'm with you on this brother. I just want to destroy some droids before it's too late." replied Fred, who had caught up with his fellow ODST.

"We'll get em next time." he continued, patting Richard on the shoulder.

"You're probably right. Let's go to the cafeteria, I'm starving after this ordeal." Richard said in response, already beginning to calm down.

XXX

CSS _Redemption_, Orbit of Tatooine, Arkanis system, Arkanis Sector

"Admiral Yularen," Oku began while looking at the image of the Republic admiral, "We'll be leaving now, with your permission."

"Yes, of course Admiral Oku." replied Yularen politely.

"Helm, set course for Coruscant." ordered Oku to the bridge staff, who had been waiting patiently for the command for the past half an hour.

On cue, the crew went to work, typing into their terminals, and within moments, a massive portal opened up in front of the supercarrier. Its black mass and purple outline beckoned to them, and they drew near to enter the realm of slipspace.

The Republic ships looked on as the rest of the massive fleet entered their portals, and they too quickly made suite to enter hyperspace. Within a moments time, the Arkanis System was devoid of functioning warships, and the 14th and Open Circle fleets were on their way to Coruscant.

* * *

><p>19:4 BBY<p>

GNR _Resolute_, hyperspace en route to Coruscant

"Snips, I'm going to meditate. Hold down the fort." said Anakin as he left the cafeteria where he had been enjoying lunch with his former padawan and some clones he had grown friends with.

"Come on Master, just skip it one time." pleaded Ahsoka, who was hoping to enjoy his company a little longer.

"Sorry, but I have a lot to think about. I'll see you soon." he finished as the automatic doors slid open for him and he left out of sight into the corridors that made up the _Resolute_.

Once Anakin entered the meditation chamber, he set himself down unto the mat, turned off the relatively bright light, and basked in the nighttime simulated darkness. He assumed his traditional position, with his legs crossed, and immersed in his thoughts.

Normal Jedi would be imagining any number of things, from a future vision, to simply a game plan for the mission they could be going on, but Anakin only had one thought on his mind. '_Finally, I can come back home to Padmé!_'. Anakin was away from his wife for several months now, and wanted nothing more but to wrap his arms around her and kiss her passionately. He imagined her surprised look when he would open up the door to her private suite in Republica 500 and give her a proper greeting.

Anakin, though, couldn't shake the thought that something was off with Padmé. He dove into the Force surrounding him, and sensed she had changed, somehow. How, he did not know. He did not sense anything major or detrimental, but there was certainly something occupying his wife's time and energy. Upon further thought, he simply brushed it off as more work she had to do, trying to get Palpatine to give up his emergency powers as quickly as possible.

Upon this thought, Anakin shifted focus to his old friend, Chancellor Palpatine. The image of the man was something that brought Anakin joy, or warmth, but every time he tried to go further with this, there was something blocking him. it was as if the Chancellor was hiding something. What it is was beyond him, but it was worth knowing, if Anakin had to guess. The amount of work Palpatine was giving Padmé because of his reluctance to give up power was also disturbing. In recent months, Anakin had grown accustomed to listening to her impassioned speeches in the Senate, and he had to admit, she made a very convincing argument. But Anakin reasoned the war was still raging, and he still needed that power to keep the Republic alive and well.

Then, out of nowhere, a vision struck the young Jedi. He imagined himself in the rolling hills and green fields of Naboo, Varykino in sight off in the distance. The wind was gently bowing, sending his hair flying to the right. He looked around, and noticed a young man, no more than 12 years of age, looking strikingly similar to himself, save for the bright blond hair, come close. He heard himself say "Luke, over here, I bet you I'll win this time.", and noticed a smile dance across 'Luke's' face as he assumed the position beside Anakin, ready to race the aged Jedi. Anakin sensed this was someone related to him, his son. In the real world, a tear escaped Anakin's eyes as he came to this realization.

Before he could look any further into this vision, he was awoken by the door opening into the meditation room. Anakin's eyes widened and he shot up to see who it was, and noticed it was Ahsoka, a worried look on her face.

"Yeah Snips?" asked Anakin, wondering why Ahsoka would disturb his meditation.

"I sensed something...off with the Force, and come in to make sure you were okay." she said honestly.

"Well, I'm fine, but thanks for the concern." Anakin said as he motioned for her to leave so he could, hopefully, return to his vision.

Just as Ahsoka turned around to leave, she noticed a glimmer of light coming from Anakin's check. Ahsoka put two and two together quickly enough, and realized it was a tear.

"Are you crying Master?" Ahsoka said, worry returning in her voice.

Anakin noticed the tear, too, and wiped it away before saying, "No Snips. I got something in my eye. Go back to the mess hall."

Ahsoka, seeing the opportunity present, joked, "Oh the infamous Hero With no Fear sheds a tear. I can't help but see the irony in it."

"Ahsoka, if you leave now, I'll consider not killing you later." Anakin said, trying to joke back.

"Alright softy." she said as she left, only to feel a relatively weak Force push hit her back and make her stumble out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Anakin reassumed his position, and dove back into his thoughts trying to return to that wonderful vision. Unfortunately, he was never able to attain it, always simply finding himself thinking back to the vision, but never continuing it. It was the longest he had seen in many years, and gave him great detail in the surroundings, something his visions always seemed to lack. For the next hour, he dwelled in his thoughts, and made sure no one disturbed him by locking the door.

* * *

><p>26 March 2587 (CSS Military Calendar), 13:40:2619:4 BBY

Orbit of Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

High above the surface of the sprawling city-world, in the black void of space, a massive force was leaving either hyperspace or slipspace. The defending fleet stationed nearby was shocked at the appearance of not only the Open Circle Fleet, but also of these new ships that seemingly came out of nowhere. Thus, the commanding admiral ordered his ships close the distance and make communications with the Republic vessels while keeping a close eye on the newcomers. Before this plan could be executed, though, he was met with a requested connection by what was the GNR _Resolute_.

"Patch them through." he commanded, causing the clones to go to work fulfilling his orders.

Within moments, Yularen, as well as a new person, also human, but wearing a vastly different uniform, stood at attention on his side of the screen.

"Admiral Bymer, This is Admiral's Oku and Yularen, requesting permission to dock with planet-side facilities." Yularen said, as Oku nodded when his name was mentioned.

Bymer, obviously stunned at not just the new arrival, but of the sudden nature of current events, simply waved them on when words would not escape his mouth.

"Don't worry admiral, they're on our side." Yularen said as he and the 14th Fleet moved in position above the capital city (planet, the whole thing is a city after all).

As they burnt through the atmosphere, Yularen said to Oku through their connection, "You'll want to wait up above the facilities until we can get more space made. I also advise you send the rest of your fleet in orbit."

"Duly noted Admiral." Oku responded as he turned to his bridge crew and relayed them the same orders.

Yularen looked on his tactical display, and it showed that all but the _Redemption_ returned to the void of space and took position near the Republic defending fleet.

As Yularen's force neared their landing areas, he smiled and said to his bridge crew, "Let's avoid pulling off a Skywalker." causing everyone present to laugh, save for the people steering the massive ship, more pressure they didn't consider earlier on their shoulders.

Nevertheless, they all landed safely and smoothly, and save for the necessary maintenance crew, they all disembarked. Oku had given the same privilege to his crew, under the condition they behave. Normally, he wouldn't even bother issuing this command, but considering this is the first time the Coalition has ever set foot on a planet outside their galaxy, he wanted to set a good precedent. Pelicans and Phantoms alike were stuffed with soldiers and sailors alike, all of whom wanted to be the first to experience this apparently vibrant city.

Oku himself, as well as senior members of the diplomatic team he was tasked with, were going to the Senate Building. As Oku boarded his Pelican with the diplomats, he looked out the slowly narrowing hole that was their exit and saw a breath-taking view of the city below. It was far more beautiful than he expected, and he only say the skyscrapers that rose above the cloud cover. As the ship descended below the clouds, he moved to the cockpit to get a better look at Coruscant, and what he saw was even more breath-taking than before. There were buildings and monuments as far as the eye could see, and the city seemed to descend forever as Oku looked down below the causeways holding up most of the structures he saw.

Their Pelican landed on the steps leading up to the main entrance of the Senate Building, and Oku couldn't help but notice the massive pillars holding up the roof at the entrance, along with the red carpet below their feet. This was truly a monument to civilized society, considering the magnificence of the building.

After walking and gawking at all the wonders this structure held, Oku found himself with his group near the entrance to the main Senate chamber. Beyond the door, he could hear fierce debate between what seemed like hundreds of people over the alliance proposal. While not much was heard in terms of words, he could clearly make out that it was a hot button topic judging by the volume of the debate. Oku and the group waited patiently, and finally, he was ushered into the room as the door opened.

As soon as he took his first step in, the image would forever remain in his memory. He looked around to see hundreds of platforms jettisoning out of the wall, all of them circular in shape an equal in dimensions. He even noticed some of the levitating around. They narrowed down in the shape of an inverted cone, with a tower and single platform at the direct center and bottom. Oku quickly realized that platform was saved for the Supreme Chancellor, in this case, Palpatine.

"Before we decide this proposal, I believe we should hear the argument from the newcomer's perspective." said Palpatine loudly enough for all to hear yet maintain a kindly demeanor.

"Thank you Chancellor." began one of the diplomats, Gregory Viznev, his name was, "We were ruthlessly attacked by the Confederacy of Independent Systems, and declared absolute war upon their mongrel hides. After learning more about this war you both have been fighting, we feel that it is in our mutual best interests if we work together to defeat this common foe."

"Who's to say we can trust you!" yelled one of the senators, an alien, but Oku didn't bother to take good notice of its appearance.

"Considering we are here to avenge our dead and bring this galaxy to peace, I believe you can trust us more than you think." responded Gregory, anger over this accusation evident in his voice. He had a notorious short temper, and Oku feared that was about to burst forth if he continued speaking.

Before any other senators could pipe in, Palpatine stood and said, "I know that because of recent events, you all are weary to trust this Coalition. But, I feel it is in the Republic's best interests if we do make this alliance. After all, it is the public welfare and safety that is our prime concern, and to ensure that those two are maintained, this war must end. These newcomers may very well be the only way the Confederates will fall."

Oku looked down upon the Chancellor, and noticed a minute amount of malevolence in Palpatine's eyes, like he was plotting something. But as soon as Oku noticed it, it was gone, and Palpatine stared down the admiral.

After several hours more of deliberation, the vote was held, and by a noticeable majority, the alliance was ratified. Oku couldn't help but allow a smile to break across his face upon this news. Before everybody left to return to their respective ships, Oku left to get a look at the city. Even though Oku would rather enjoy this sight, he couldn't help but ponder the motives behind Palpatine. while he would rather say he was out for the common good, a man like Palpatine always has an agenda, and he seemed quite good at keeping that secret.

XXX

500 Republica, Coruscant, Coruscant system, Coruscant Sector

Anakin practically sprinted here after being told he would be needed at the Temple several hours later, giving him the opportunity to see his wife. As he ascended the lift to the top suite, he quickly looked into the life bond he and his wife shared, and felt a myriad of emotions from her, ranging from frustration, to loneliness, to even the flicker of hope, as well as a strange one he noticed before, but paid little heed. It was as though her image in the Force, what she was projecting, was brighter, as if amplified by something else. None of this came from her apartment complex, though. Instead, they seemed to be coming from the Senate Building, particularly her office. Anakin, now under the impression that he had some time before she returned home, began contemplating what he could do now that she was coming to him.

"I got it," he thought as the lift stopped and he walked to the door to her suite with a new sense of purpose.

_One Hour Later_

Padmé returned to her apartment, anticipating nothing more that reading the data pads she didn't get to yet and making dinner, all while imagining life on Naboo with Anakin. She was aware of the Republic fleet that returned, but was not certain it carried Anakin with it, and didn't want to get her hopes up to only be dashed. As she approached the door, she began feeling that familiar tremor in the Force telling her she was in the close company of her beloved. She was constantly aware of Anakin's more pronounced emotions, even when he was on the field, but they had to be quite strong to be able to travel through the vast distances of the galaxy. Now, however, she could practically feel what he was thinking, what his most conscious and articulate feelings were, as they changed on an almost second-by-second basis. This was a sensation she never felt she would be fully accustomed to, but nevertheless found an almost never-ending sense of enjoyment from, especially when she was able to pick up on Anakin's half-truths, if he ever felt it was his duty to protect her from all things, regardless of how misguided that belief may be.

Besides, she could smell the burning food and equipment all the way from the other side of the hallway. She tentatively opened the door, only to see a cleanly polished room, almost gleaming in its beauty, with nothing out of place, save for the dark cloak of a Jedi thrown haphazardly on the couch in the living area on the far side of the apartment, near the veranda, whose glass door was closed and tinted, making the area exceptionally dark.

"Ani, I've told you before and I'll tell you again, please spare my kitchenette and allow threepio to do the cooking." she teased while speaking loud enough to ensure anyone in her apartment could hear, as she discarded her own light tan cloak and hung it neatly on the nearby rack, before taking several leisurely steps forward, in the direction of the kitchenette.

"That doesn't mean I can't try my love." his disembodied voice responded, with no small amount of glee present, growing as the words progressed in the statement.

After this statement, he rounded the corner and dashed forward with a speed she could almost not comprehend, and hugged Padmé as tightly as he could, as if she were the only thing in the universe that mattered, granted to him, she was. He lifted her up, and swung her around like he always did when they met in private, giving her proper incentive to practically squeal like a school-girl again. He then laid a long, passionate kiss upon her lips while gently, almost reverently, setting her back down on her feet, while still holding on to her tightly, as he felt her knees go weak.

He parted with her, and she rasped while looking into those striking blue eyes she felt she could get lost in at any point, regardless of circumstance, "I've missed you so much Ani."

"And I, you." he quickly responded, staring back at her, giving her that look that alone made her feel like she was the most important being in the galaxy, practically making her weak all over, before he kissed her again.

"I have wonderful news Ani," she said as they parted lips again, a radiant smile gracing her features.

She seemed like she was internally contemplating whether or not to say it, but a quick nod from Anakin was all she needed before she continued, "I'm pregnant."

Anakin was at a loss for words, unable to even begin to comprehend what was going through his head. Internally, he was berating himself for not noticing such a monumental thing, taking note of the fact that in his excitement, he failed to notice the extra weight she seemed to have had, or the strange feeling he kept getting from her sporadically, always making him wonder what could make his angel feel what she was feeling, or that her Force-signature was especially more pronounced than before, now realizing it was the new life-form adding to her already radiant projection. Evidently, it was something that would change their lives forever, and he couldn't be any happier. He smiled, genuinely smiled, and it was the most radiant, euphoric smile he felt he had ever had to grace his features.

Finally, after a long silence, he regained his voice and said "That's...that's wonderful. By the Force that's wonderful Padmé!"

This elation was short-lived, though, as a look of despair appeared on Padmé's face, making him reel back, replacing his smile with a more neutral countenance, as the sadness and apprehension suddenly washed over him.

Anakin asked, "What's wrong angel?", worry present in his eyes.

"We won't be able to keep this a secret, at least not for long. What happens when-" she said before being cut off by Anakin, who put his finger up to her lips, the smile returning with a vengeance.

"Let's not worry about that yet. This is the happiest day of my life Padmé, and I know it is for yours as well." he said, trying to make her as elated as he still was.

"It is Ani. It really is. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't worry." she responded, the sadness beginning to dissipate, as if taken from her, leaving her only elation at the news of Anakin's return and his apparent excitement over his impending fatherhood.

She spent no time wondering how such a quick change of emotions could overtake her, chalking it up later as hormones and nothing else.

"Please Padmé, let me deal with that. Even if the universe finds out, it won't matter. I have you and our child, and that's all I'll ever need." he said with such passion and love that her knees almost gave out, bur he still held onto her with the gentleness of a soft wind and the firmness of a duracrete wall, all while he was kissing her again.

Padmé was more than willing to return the favor to her husband, and within an instant, all the worry remaining went away as he picked he up again and carried her to the couch. He sat her down, and continued to kiss her, but Padmé had to part it, an impish grin on her face.

"So how's dinner looking honey?" she asked jokingly, knowing the answer already.

"I think you know the answer to that, angel." he responded jokingly again.

"It's alright. I'm sure I can remedy this problem. But only if I get something in return." she said, her impish grin turning into something far more coy in nature.

"Oh," Anakin said while raising an eyebrow, "and what might that be dear?"

"Only one way to find out." she said as she raised herself off the couch, with his help, no less, and began walking towards the kitchen, all while his gaze never averted from her.

Anakin continued to stare at his ever so beautiful wife, whose ongoing pregnancy seemed to make her all the more gorgeous. She already had the motherly glow that women often had in her circumstances. As far as he was concerned, she was just as attractive as she always had been. Just as he was about to join her to provide some assistance, his com unit came to life.

After what appeared to be a long silence, he looked down, disappointed, and said with no small amount of frustration, "It's Master Kenobi. They need me at the Temple immediately."

He continued, "Hope you don't mind if I get a rain check on dinner?"

She rounded the corner and met with him, giving him a loving embrace, while doing as he taught her all those years ago and projecting her feelings of love towards him, traveling through their shared bond and entering his heart almost as quickly as they were sent. He was yet again humbled by how much this wonderful woman loved him, making hm feel that he never could have asked for a better gift by the Force. Their mutual devotion was unquestionable, and made him wonder how the blasted Code could feel such a wonderful thing as love could be interpreted as dangerous and wrong. Nevertheless, he spent little time dwelling on these thoughts as he projected his own strong feelings of unyielding love for her through their bond, while devoting a considerable amount of his mental power to raise his shields, already high and mighty, even higher to ensure no Jedi could see or feel the bright and powerful tremor that was created by their shared bond, now almost palpable from the adoration sent along its fibers.

"Of course, Ani. Don't take too long." she said as they kissed again, drawing it out as long as she could, him willingly allowing the time to elapse far longer than he consciously though acceptable.

"I won't." was all he said as he broke the passionate display and moved towards the parked speeder, before making his way to the Temple as fast as he could go.

Padmé, on the other hand, stood looking at the quickly shrinking image of his speeder as it raced to the looming Temple of the Jedi Order, her heart practically singing after their brief encounter. Nevertheless, she too spent some mental faculties wondering how the Jedi interpreted love as an emotion too dangerous to allow. She was well versed in the history of the Republic, and even schooled herself, with no small amount of help form Anakin and Obi-Wan, on the history of the secretive and mighty order. She knew of the Lost Twenty, granted not as much as a Jedi Master, and knew of the sporadic instances of great Jedi falling to the Dark Side because of a loved one lost. But she also knew, mostly from information provided by Anakin, about the ancient Order, long ago replaced by the new, and knew of sparse instances in which marriage was allowed, and loving feeling shared between Jedi and others, her most recent discovery being that of the tale of Revan and Bastila Shan.

With this on her mind, Padmé turned around and began walking with a noticeable skip in her walk, towards the kitchenette, to both make a meal that Anakin would find most enjoyable while he was here, and to asses the damage wrought by his attempts at culinary perfection, often falling very short of the desired result.

XXX

High Council Chamber, Jedi Temple, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

"Stop the Separatist blockade of Boz Pity, you must." began Grandmaster Yoda to Anakin, who was standing in the center of the High Council Chamber with all masters observing him.

Most of them were there via holograph, forced to lead their troops from the front. the room was still bathed in an alluring orange-yellow light from the local star that shone through the glass of the highest spire of the Jedi Temple. Long shadows were cast of the various chairs and Masters sitting in the chamber, with the center of the room occupied solely by Anakin. The Force here, while greatly clouded, still seemed at peace, and serine in nature, true to the ways of the Jedi.

"Yes Master. Anything else?" he asked, wanting to return home to Padmé as soon as possible, as evidence by the fact that his hands were tucked into his sleeves, fidgeting under the robe, and his feet continued to shift from one to the other slightly.

"Assisted by Masters Windu, Kenobi, Plo Koon, and Kit Fisto, as well as the new Coalition forces you will be. Mighty, their fleet is. Easy, the battle should be. Careful you must be, though. Dooku, no doubt, there, he will be." Yoda continued, his eyes observing the movements associated with anxiety form the Knight before him.

"And what of Ahsoka? Will she be joining us on this important operation?" asked Anakin, briefly worried his student would be separated from the man who grew to enjoy her presence on missions as much as his Master no doubt enjoyed his.

Yoda pondered this notion, sensing the same attachment Kenobi formed with Anakin, between Anakin and Ahsoka. While not something he felt ought to be condoned, they worked well together, and the war had forced the entire Order to forgo some previously accepted tenants of the Code they were to uphold. If a growing attachment was the only consequence of their continued success, it was a price worth paying.

After a longer than expected wait, the age-old master said "Go with you, she will. Effective, you three are."

Anakin nodded his head after Yoda finished saying this sentence. Now he was beginning to grow even more impatient, seeing no more need to be here when his wife practically beckons to him in her suite. His shifting feet seemed to gather the attention of the entire Council, and his fidgeting hands were becoming visible under his robe under the ever watchful eyes of Master Yoda.

"To be somewhere, you must?" he asked, his eyes penetrating Anakin, as his eyebrow was raised inquisitively.

"No Master. I would just like to return to my meditations." he lied, covering his true feelings as best he could with whatever mental shields he could now muster.

"Plenty of time, you have, to meditate. Shipped out, you will be, in one week." Yoda said, giving Anakin an instant ping of joy that he quickly suppressed.

"Thank you very much Master. I believe my mind needs much time to consolidate." said Anakin, relying on half truths to get his point across. Indeed, his mind was everywhere, but not for the reasons the council may believe.

It seemed like Yoda bought it, and he said with a simple wave of his hand, "Very well. Leave, you may."

Anakin deeply bowed and made his way out of the room. It had taken longer than he had hoped, but then again, Council meetings often did. He almost immediately threw those thoughts out as soon as he entered the lift, anticipating his return to his home with Padmé.

Back in the High Council Chamber, the masters began discussing some very important items.

"His trust in Palpatine is beginning to waver, but the Chancellor still considers him a close friend and confidant. He, in my opinion, is our best candidate to spy on the Chancellor." said Ki-Adi-Mundi.

"I disagree. We shouldn't pressure Anakin into this. It would deteriorate his already shaky trust in this Council." Obi-Wan said injected into the conversation.

"While this may be true Master Kenobi, we have to gather as much information on Palpatine as possible. If he really is under the influence of the Sith, as we suspect, then we have need to fear greater things than an angry Knight." Windu said, his stoic expression giving way to fear at the mention of the Sith in all of this.

"Anakin doesn't serve us much good if he's under the influence of the Sith, and that's exactly where we're pushing him." Obi-Wan said urgently, trying to convey his point as best as possible.

He continued, "Anakin's emotions are very clouded, and he is in great turmoil over the war. Push any further, and he becomes susceptible to the Sith's greater agenda. I, for one, will not let that happen to my former padawan."

"For the safety of the Republic, Palpatine needs to be investigated, and we cannot rely on anyone else to spy on the Chancellor. I'm still undergoing a secret investigation into Palpatine's personal records, but we need face-to-face interaction if we are to get anywhere. I believe I speak for everyone when I say Anakin is the only one he'll trust." said Mace, caring little for Kenobi's remarks, thinking only about the safety of the Republic and the Order.

"True, all of these things are. Decide , we will, after your return from Boz Pity. May the Force be with us." Yoda said, effectively ending the meeting.

XXX

Skylanes of Coruscant, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

Anakin raced as fast as his speeder could take him while not attracting attention, a feat he practically mastered over the years. The need to be with his wife and bask in her glory was consuming his mind, driving every action. He became so focused on his prized possession, no, the only thing he truly cared about, that his focus on the traffic in front of him diminished greatly. He soon heard a loud honking from the cars in front of him as they swerved violently to avoid a collision with the distracted Jedi. It took him a mere second to notice where he was, and he adjusted his speeder accordingly as soon as his hands would move, moving the speeder back to the right and into the proper lane.

Once the threat of areal death by a cabbie was gone, he returned to the pleasant thoughts of his lovely wife. Her dark curls alone infatuated him, but there was far more aspects of her that captivated the young Jedi. Her almost pale skin that seemed to glow in even the most minute light seemed to draw his attention any time they were nearby. Her piercing brown eyes that always tore into his soul and dug up emotions of pure, almost primal joy in even the worst of times. That coy smile that always sent waves of joy to Anakin and would absolutely destroy lesser men in their simplistic yet all too beautiful essence. Anakin tried to wrap his mind around all the perfect features of his wife that drove him nearly mad with love, but there were too many that he cared to count.

Then his mind returned to his vision earlier.

'_Was that really my fate? With a family whose love was impossible to describe in the most peaceful place in the galaxy._' was the thought that streaked across his mind as he swerved left and was in sight of 500 Republica.

Were it not for the fact he was secluded from any nearby Force-sensitives, he was confident his secret would be out simply because of the emotions now dominating his mind beyond hiding. He tried his best to suppress it with the mental shields he had mastered in forming, but a lone tear again escaped his grasp and made headway down his cheek, saying all that needed to be said. Nothing caused him greater joy than seeing this future awaiting him. A future without war, without death, without duty. A future with only his family and an estate where they could stay tucked away. where he could grow old and happy with his wife, while watching his family grow and prosper.

But his mind unexpectedly changed the subject, and reverted to the new arrivals. Anakin never would have expected this to occur in a millennia, but to his shock, the war now had a horizon, and it was closer than anyone had previously expected. There was yet hope that he could see his wife and move away to Varykino like they always wanted before their baby came into the universe. A hope he desperately needed to cling to, if for no other reason than to maintain some semblance of mental stability.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he safely landed the speeder onto the landing pad outside Padmé's personal suite, and raced though the open archway of the veranda to meet his wife. Without saying a word, she looked back at the origin of the running sound and saw her personal Knight, bestowing upon him a kiss as they wrapped their arms around each other in a loving embrace. There they stayed, holding onto each other as if the other may disappear without their touch, drawing out the moment as long as humanly possible

She stood onto her toes, leaned in towards his left ear, and whispered with a wide grin, "Took you long enough."

He pulled back, almost shocked, and let out a small grin of his own, enjoying the love that flowed so effortlessly through them. He spent a short amount of time to truly appreciate her aroma, a mixture of flowers from Naboo that cam from the perfume she used. It always drew his attention away from any task that was before him, and forced his mind to focus solely on her. She too, embraced the masculine scent he was giving off at such close proximity to her, allowing her senses to be overwhelmed by their intensity.

"Well you know me." he said with no small amount of amusement, "First I needed to find one with an open cockpit. Then I had to pick the right color..."

Before he could continue, she cut him off by saying, "You better clean up your act Mister Skywalker. The last thing I need is our baby boy having your punctuality."

Anakin was initially taken back by her intuition, then allowed a mischievous grin to mar his features while saying in a teasing tone, "And how do you know it's not a girl?"

Padmé seemed to think this over for a brief moment, her eyes looking up and away, before reverting her gaze back upon Anakin and saying, "Mother's intuition."

Anakin's grin changed to one of amusement as he said, "That doesn't count. I think it's a girl."

"You're just saying that because I know it's a boy." Padme replied, her calm voice carrying an undercurrent of amusement as well.

Anakin half grunted and half laughed before he continued, "Don't be offended when I say 'I told you so' when I'm proven right. After all, I am a Jedi."

Padmé's smile practically lit up the room as she replied, "And maybe I'm a Sith in disguise."

Anakin's arms, still encircled around Padme, drew her closer, and he said in a husky tone, "You're definitely the most beautiful Sith I've ever seen. And it certainly explains why you seduced me from my honorable Jedi Code."

Padmé couldn't stiffen the giggles that escaped her mouth at first, before quieting them down some time later, and saying in between sporadic fits of laughter, "You must be kidding. It was you and your rugged, divine body that seduced me."

"Please Padmé," Anakin said, with an eye roll and a small smile, "that black dress you wore was practically sinful. I'm surprised I lasted as long as I did against your feminine charm."

Padmé leaned in even closer, making the distance between them mere centimeters, before saying a husky tone, "You caught me, Master Jedi."

She then leaned back, drawing him forward slightly, before continuing, "I'm the Sith Lord you've been looking for. Now what will you do with me?"

Now it was his turn to lean in, basking in her heavenly scent while saying in a hushed tone, "I can think of a few things."

Wasting no time to continue with their banter, they closed the distance between themselves and captured each other's lips in a passionate embrace that practically electrified the air around them. There they stayed for some time, basking in the taste of each other's lips, moving in closer, if it were possible to begin with, and practically fusing their bodies into one while still being held back by the constraints of their clothing.

He then, after leaning back to look into those light brown eyes that captured his heart the very second he first looked upon them, said with a wide smile, "I had a lot to talk to you about my love."

She went in for another kiss, this time quick but just as passionate, before pulling back to ask, "And we shall talk about it over dinner." before walking back to the kitchen nearby, beckoning to him.

He dutifully followed, and almost keeled over at the truly amazing smell that emanated from her kitchen. There was never a question in Anakin's mind that his wife was the single best cook he ever had the good pleasure of living with. To him, everything she made was the physical manifestation of perfection, a worthy complement to her already perfect mind and body. He never bothered to question where her cooking prowess came from, because to him it didn't matter. All he cared about was being in the company of his personal angel. Of course the food was a good bonus.

But, his already giddy mind returned to the purpose of his visit, beyond enjoying the sight of Padmé.

"My love," he began, looking up from the plate before him with a wide smile, "I wish to talk to you about a vision I had recently."

Before Padmé looked up to see the smile on her husband's face, she almost recoiled, returning to the memories of his constant tossing and turning over the visions he saw of his mother's death. She mentally prepared herself to deal with this intense pain, but upon the sight of his giddy smile, complimented by his sincere eyes made all worries go away in an instant.

She smiled, leaned in, and said almost seductively, "And what might that vision be about my gorgeous protector."

"Our future, my love."

He then leaned back against the back of the chair he was sitting in, and looked up, his smile maintained as if recalling a particularly pleasant memory, before continuing, "I saw a young man in the fields near Varykino. He looked strikingly similar to myself. I could feel a great love towards him, a father's love. I could tell I was his parent, and during that brief period of time, I felt no fear, no regret, no war. There was only love, and it permeated the land. The air was positively electrified with the warm feelings of affection I was feeling towards this boy, my boy, our boy." He said, trying to convey the feeling he felt through words back to Padmé, knowing such feat was impossible.

Tears welled up in Padmé's eyes at all Anakin said. The greatest fear she faced was Anakin being unable to accept his life as a father and Jedi. This vision, she felt, was nothing more but the Force gracing them with all the hope they would need to fight to return to their secluded lives in the sheltered land of Varykino.

Before he could react, she had practically bounded over the small table between him and kissing him passionately with every fiber of her being. He did not hesitate to return the favor, and for the briefest of moments, all was well in the universe.

After a handful of seconds in which their lips could not be separated from the other's, Anakin said, "Of course, it could still be a girl. The Force can't always be right"

After a smack on his arm form the woman still in his arms, they continued their searing kiss.

XXX

CSS _Redemption_, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

"So why aren't we out partying again?" asked Fred as he lifted up his Assault Rifle and swung it around to emphasize his point.

"Cause someone has to guard this ship while those drunk bastards are out partying." was Richard's reply.

Both of them, or should I say Richard, volunteered to guard that Coalition warship while most of the other crew was out enjoying a little R&R. Fred, being the friend that he was, and because he owed Richard for a bet he lost a couple weeks ago, stayed behind to help his friend during his patrol. At the moment, they were in one of the many corridors that made up the inside of the usual Coalition supercarrier. They took a left, following the arrow that pointed to the mess hall and figured they earned a quick dinner for their service. It was only when they entered the massive mess hall that they realized that the cafeteria was staffed with a skeleton crew, the rest opting to go planet-side and enjoy themselves.

As the two ODST's scanned the staff present, they noticed in the corner of their eyes that Francois and Greg were nearby, getting hammered as usual. Not wasting any time, they practically sprinted over to join their friends, and silently mock their drunken slurs.

As soon as they were within earshot of the two, both ODST's heard Greg's native Irish accent, now shown through the intake of alcohol, "Let me tell you something. You French are quite...respectable."

Both the drunkards noticed the two uniformed soldiers, and recognized instantly who they were by the distinctive patch Richard wore on his shoulder pads to indicate his family crest, and Fred's crack on his right shoulder pad.

"Took you long enough to join us you bastards!" said Greg, maintaining his accent through the whole sentence and waving the beer bottle he was holding in the air to accentuate his point.

For the next hour or so, the two on duty ODST's enjoyed the ramblings of their friends, and soon were forced to return to their patrol before anyone noticed the lack of their presence.

While patrolling through the corridors of the ship, Fred said out of nowhere in a somber voice, "Do you think we'll both see the end of this war?"

Richard was taken aback by this sudden outburst, and thought it over for a second before replying, "Of course. Have you seen the videos of the Spartans taking down the droids with no problems at all."

"Maybe so," said Fred in response, still looking forward through the silver visor that blocked his face from view, "but they were Spartans. We're only ODST's, which means we'll be dropping in surrounded by an enemy that will outnumber us in every pertinent aspect."

"You're being too pessimistic. Just enjoy the sights of Coruscant while you still can before we're shipped out again." was Richard's response as he thought this over himself.

"I'll try comrade." was Fred's final response, allowing the two to enjoy the heavy air of silence that was now all around them.

* * *

><p><em>Report of the status of the Government of the Galactic Republic<em>, issued by Admiral Konima Oku, 30 March, 2587

It appears through our preliminary studies of the history of this galaxy's civilized society that this current government is very unusual. Throughout most of the history of the Galactic Republic, the Senate held most of the power, with the Chancellor acting as almost a subservient role. However, the Supreme Chancellor currently holds almost all control of the government, and by extension, the Galactic Republic. How this current scenario came into existence is up for debate, and I'm personally certain the Office of Naval Intelligence will have a "field day" with studying his rise to power. Regardless, his rise is of little consequence and concern to us, but his current powers, and what he may shoot for, that are of deep concern.

Once the "Clone Wars" began three years ago, the Supreme Chancellor of the time, Palpatine, was able to compel the majority of the Galactic Senate to amend their constitution to allow his continued use "Emergency Powers" in the face of this new threat, this time in the form of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Ever since that time, his Emergency Powers have expanded, and the current government is none too dissimilar to the still infamous Nazi Germany. So, if we look through history, it can be guessed what his next moves may be, allowing us to predict our next action if things do not go as well as planned.

It should also be noted that the Coalition does not recognize the sovereignty of any despotic government. Unfortunately, recent circumstances have compelled us to overlook this particular section of the Coalition constitution. Nevertheless, once the war in the Andromeda Galaxy concludes, he will be formally requested to relinquish power and restore the power he has taken from the Galactic Senate back to the Galactic Senate. If he refuses, then action will be taken within diplomatic parameters, and peaceful transition of power will be officially promoted by the Coalition of Sentient Species.

Now, I would like to formally request that further study be taken into Palpatine's history, rise to power, and other pertinent information. This is in the jurisdiction of the Office of Naval Intelligence, though, and nothing more will be said on the matter unless formally requested and approved through the proper channels, or immediately pertains to action that must be taken for any reason.

**Now, I would like to take this time to formally request that, to ensure superior quality of chapters form here on out, if anyone would be willing to assist in the Beta Reader process, may they speak up now, or forever hold their peace...in the review section. **


	5. Chapter 4: Calm Before the Storm

Chapter 4: Calm Before the Storm

27 March 2587 (CSS military Calendar), 09:12:56/19:4 BBY

500 Republica, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

Coruscant Prime was high above the cityscape of Coruscant, shinning a brilliant light down upon the occupants of the sprawling city. It glimmered off the reflective structures that made the cityscape what it was, a bright, beautiful world with much promise. This instance of light was but an example, nay probably metaphor for the long history of the Galactic Republic, with Coruscant at the center of every important thing to happen in the Galactic Republic's long and torrid history.

At this moment, the light shimmered through the blinds of Padmé's apartment, and awoke the sleeping senator. Normally, when she would wake up, she would instinctively reach out on the other side of her bed, looking for her husband, only to be disappointed to find he is not there. This always left a cold, lonely feeling deep in Padmé, making her feel that this war was exacting a toll it could never repay. If anything, it gave her incentive to see an end to this brutal conflict, if only to see her Knight again.

On this morning, though, she awoke and found the other side of the bed occupied by the warm body of her loving husband, who was cradling her body and giving her support where she needed it. Had she not moved, she would have stayed in this position all day, willingly, but her movement awoke her husband too.

Anakin was yawning, stretching out, to indicate he was awake, and looking into the gorgeous brown eyes of his beloved wife. For a brief moment, they stared into each other's eyes, not bothering to say words where they were not needed.

Finally, it dawned on Padmé, and she stumbled out of bed, arousing the undivided attention of Anakin.

As she was moving quickly around to get into the fresher, he asked "Why are you up and about? I thought you were off today."

Padmé, feeling her husband wasn't ready to hear about her participation in the Delegation of 2000, tried to act like she didn't hear him.

When he persisted, she simply responded cryptically, "I'll be back by noon, then I'm all yours." before laying a kiss upon his lips and enjoying the passionate gesture while she still could.

Anakin seemed content with this explanation, and moved his hands around Padmé to grasp unto her back while she was still kissing him. She moaned as her instincts told her to immediately jump back into bed and forget the meeting with the leaders of the Delegation, simply enjoying the presence of her husband. But, she knew her duty to her people, nay the people of the galaxy, and resolved, hesitantly, to keep getting ready.

She pulled back, prompting Anakin to let go, and she gave him a quick wink before continuing her previous actions. While she was practically running around, trying to do various tasks, Anakin remained in the bed, observing his wife, finding every one of her motions and actions full of grace and dignity worthy of the gods. Now, more than ever, he was confident to say that she was an angel bestowed upon him by the good graces of the Force.

After the quickest fifteen minutes of Padmé's relatively short political career, she finished, laid a quick kiss upon Anakin's lips, and departed for her destination.

As she was walking towards the lift, she thought _'I hope he'll understand my actions. He's too close to Palpatine, for his own good.' _

Anakin, meanwhile, was thinking, _'I guess I should clean up after that. No need to get into a fight on one of our few days together all because of the mess this place is in.'_

He got out of bed, pulled up his sleeping pants, put his traditional robe on, and activated C3PO to help him on his new mission.

As Anakin turned his faithful droid on, it said, almost enthusiastically, "Oh Master Ani. It's a pleasure to see you again. How may I be of assistance?"

"Hello again Threepio. Can you help me clean this place up. I really want to surprise Padmé with a clean suite." was his reply as he began getting to work on his newfound task.

"Of course Master Ani. It would be my honor." replied C3PO as he joined Anakin in picking up disheveled piles of clothes.

For the next hour, the pair worked tirelessly (well, Anakin did, considering C3PO doesn't feel tired) to shape the messy suite up to look presentable. Anakin was well aware that by the time he left, the place was likely to be in utter chaos again, but that didn't matter to him. All he wanted to do was be a good husband. Although, that did not mean he was not focused on other tasks.

As Anakin was busy washing some dishes left behind from last night's dinner, he remembered that he lacked an excuse for not being seen in the Temple after he departed from the High Council Chamber. He set the plate he was busy with down into the bottom of the sink, and walked away from the kitchen and into the spacious living room. there, he puled out his om unit and dialed in for the specific frequency number they shared, and waited for his padawan to appear before him. Within a short amount of time, the blue hologram of his Togrutan padawan appeared before him, and she gave him a curtly bow to her master.

"You called Master?" she began after she straightened out.

Anakin distanced himself from the nearby sink and said to her, "Snips, I could really use your help right now. I forgot to tell anyone that I'm meditating for the next couple of days, and would like to be secluded. I'd tell them myself..." a short pause to think of what to say, then he blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "but I feel I'm on to something in the Force, and don't want to waste time warning everybody."

Internally, Anakin winced at how stupid that sounded, but maintained a calm facade to at least have some hope of convincing his astute padawan that what he was saying was true. Ahsoka, however, knew her master was lying. Something about him gave it away, even if it was through his blue holographic representation. But, she could also tell he was close to pleading with her, and she knew when not to fight or ask questions with Anakin.

She said, after a moments contemplation, "Alright Skyguy. Anything else while I'm doing your dirty work?"

Anakin immediately said in between his almost devilish grin, "Yeah. Doing it with a good attitude would be greatly appreciated Snips. I'll see you later."

Before Ahsoka could make her own response, the connection was lost. She put the com unit back in her pocket and went about her previous duties, making a mental note to find Master Kenobi when she could and tell him of Anakin's current disposition.

Anakin, on the other hand, quickly returned to his own duty and finished up cleaning the last of the dishes in record time. This prompted him to join C3PO in the bedroom to help the droid reorganize the disorderly wardrobe left behind from his visit and Padmé's haste to leave. Before he joined the droid, though, he checked the nearby chronometer, and made a mental note that he had half an hour left before Padmé might return. He figured he had plenty of time to finish his tasks and take a quick rest before she returned. Diving back into his work, Anakin already began anticipating Padmé's return.

XXX

Mon Mothma's Office , Senate Building, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

Usually, Mon Mothma's office was almost completely empty, save for the relatively rare occasion she worked overtime for a proposed bill or amendment. As the war progressed, though, she found herself spending more time in her office, and by this time in the war, it was practically her home, with her returning to her lavish suite nearby on relatively rare occasions, or when she willingly postponed work. At this particular time, the office was full of the leaders of the newly formed Delegation of 2000, and was awash in diplomatic debate between the people assembled. The light from Coruscant Prime was still bathing the room in rich illumination, and every detail could be easily seen. The blue carpet and velvet drapes told the story of opulence, and the curvacious and smooth furniture complemented the feeling the room was producing. Of the two chairs and the one couch, Padme found herself sitting on the one chair closest to the window behind her, staring more at the chronometer and not paying much attention to the debate before her. However, she noticed the speaker's voice pick up in intensity, and reverted her gaze back to the task at hand.

"We need to act quickly. Every day Palpatine stays in control illegally is another day freedom is stomped on." said Bail Organa, Senator of Alderaan, and one of the most influential members of the Delegation form his position on the chair nearest Padme facing the wall to her right, his eyes scanning the room for those in agreement with him.

His manner of speaking invokes confidence in those around him, which is partially the reason he is able to maintain his position as Senator to begin with. However, it was his ideals that roused the attention of those in the Delegation, and it was one of the many reasons why he quickly became a leader in the growing group.

"I'm certain we all agree with you Bail, but how we go about this is sill up to debate." said Padmé, her gaze firmly locked on that of Bail, as the rest in the Delegation before them nodded in agreement.

If there was anyone in the Delegation whose voice carried as much weight as Bail's it was Padmé's. She always brought up a burning passion into people who would listen to her speak, and they always seemed to rally around her, save for those unable to be swayed by the power of monetary gain, which, unfortunately, was exactly who staffed the Galactic Senate. This was one of the litany of reasons she, too, was chosen to be a leading member of this opposition group.

"I believe we give Palpatine one more chance to give up his powers without any need for legislation. After that...more discussion will be required." said Mon Mothma, who was growing tired of the diplomatic solution, and it was showing in her strained, almost defeated voice.

She was seated on the large couch facing Padmé and towards the window that revealed the gleaming skyscrapers of the Upper City. Her head seemed lower, like she was resigning her fate to something, and her shoulders seemed to carry an unknown weight.

"We all know he's going to shoot us down again. There isn't any point in trying to fight him with words anymore." piped in Fang Zar, himself also growing impatient of Palpatine's insistence on keeping his emergency powers, as evidence by the current of anger in his tone, as he looked around the room from his position to the right of Mon Mothma.

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't try." replied Tanner Cadaman, trying to rouse confidence in his comrades to seek the peaceful solution, but his voice seemed more pleading than anything else, as he too scanned the room for those in agreement from his position to Mon Mothma's left.

"And what do we do if our legislation doesn't pass?" asked Padmé, stating what the other leaders were thinking, her voice unwavering, rousing an even unconscious reaction from her peers.

This statement was followed by a long silence. No one had thus far considered what their next option would be if traditional means failed. They all hung their heads or raised them in contemplation, and spent the time wondering what their next course of action ought to be.

After this long silence, Bail said confidently, "We won't have to get to that point Padmé.", trying to sooth everyone's nerves with a calm, confident voice.

While everyone was contemplating this, Mon Mothma said to break the next silence, "How does the Coalition enter into this equation, now that they're here to fight."

To be honest, no one knew the answer to that either. No one had been able to get an intimate knowledge of the Coalition, or their motives, but that didn't stop them from hoping they would interfere and support the Delegation. All of the leaders of the Delegation looked around, trying to find someone with an answer to that question, yet no one seemed ready to step up to that plate, so to speak.

"I guess that answers my question. Well then, if we have nothing further to say, this meeting is adjourned." said Mon Mothma, dismissing everyone, feeling discussing any more would be relatively useless.

Before Padmé left to return to her waiting husband, she checked the hanging chronometer opposite her on the far wall, to see how much time she had to return. She had a good half an hour before she would be late, and that was not going to happen so long as she could help it

XXX

Chancellor's Suite, Senate Building, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

While Palpatine, or Darth Sidious, if you preferred, was deep in meditation, preparing for coming events, he was hit with a disturbing vision. Within the foggy realm of the Dark Side, where his immense powers derived from, he say a throne room. Behind him, in the black void of space, a battle was being waged by two forces, and it seemed one was pressing the advantage over the seemingly smaller and weaker one. He saw himself descending some hastily built stairs towards a young man in black, with shaggy blond hair and striking blue eyes, who was standing defiantly before him. Behind the young man clad in black, a person in a suit as dark as space itself was laying slumped against a railing, trying to support his undoubtedly immense weight. A quick probe of the Force told Palpatine that this was his protege, Anakin, and the man before him was his rest of the exchange was paid little heed, as Palpatine was trying to wrap his mind around how the most powerful being in the galaxy could be forced to live his life in a suit that restricted him from using his immense powers for his benefit. However, his reverie was broken by the sight of his future self shooting lightening at the young man, who continued to plead with his father to aid him. From where Palpatine was, he smiled evilly, knowing such pleas would land on deaf ears. His apprentice, it seemed, was too far entrenched in the Dark Side to care in the least for anyone save himself. However, within seconds, he was proven wrong, when Anakin lifted up the Sith Lord and cast him into the pit of some structure he was residing in, killing him and allowing Anakin to return to the Light. From there, his vision ended, and a cold sweat covered the soon-to-be Emperor.

Anakin was supposed to be his crown jewel. The Chosen One, fallen to the Dark Side, his student. Instead, he was going end one thousand years of Sith planning for dominance. That is unacceptable.

Palpatine, awoken by this vision, began contemplating his other options. From what he could gather after being in deep thought, he felt he had two choices. He could revise his plans to make Anakin's conversion to the Dark Side more certain, or he could take on another disciple and train them rather than Skywalker.

For almost twenty minutes, Palpatine was waging philosophical war in his mind, trying to determine which option was his best. Anakin was the strongest Force-sensitive Palpatine knows ever existed. But the aging man also knew Anakin's attachments would make him weak and his dependence on the Light Side would only hinder the young man, or Sidious' control over him. Such details didn't matter.

Then a thought came. What if Palpatine uses Dooku's secret apprentice to push Anakin that final bit? Palpatine knew about Galen Marek ever since Dooku sent him on his first mission, and he intentionally allowed his apprentice to keep him, believing this powerful Force-sensitive could be of great use to him. Now that use was quite evident.

Of course, there was still the chance that Skywalker stayed to the Light, however unlikely. If that happened, Palpatine reasoned Marek, or Starkiller, as Dooku called him, would do just fine. His power was comparable to Skywalker's anyway.

Then again, maybe it would be easier to keep Starkiller to begin with and simply kill Anakin. Oh the options available.

Regardless of what Palpatine did, he knew that Dooku would have to die.

_'That's it!_' he thought, '_If Anakin doesn't kill Dooku when he is to do so, then Starkiller will be my apprentice._ _If Anakin does kill Dooku, then Starkiller will be disposed of.'_

Once Palpatine was resolved, he heard his suite's chronometer going off, indicating he was due for a Senatorial meeting. He could simply not go, but the desire to see the Coalition in action compelled him otherwise. He donned his Senatorial garb and made haste to the Grand Convocation Chamber to preside over this meeting.

XXX

CSS _Redemption_, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

While only a couple kilometers away, the Dark Lord of the Sith was preparing to begin setting his plans into action, a much less pressing matter was begin attended to in the bowls of the massive Coalition supercarrier, in the bunk section devoted to the rest and recuperation of the Orbital Drop troops stationed in the massive warship. The sterile lights lit up the room brightly and allowed not a shadow to exist anywhere but below the bunks. In one of the bunks, Richard sat, his left leg hanging off the edge of the bunk and the right resting atop his left knee, as he worked with handling the holographic recorder for his message.

"I miss you so much Marley, and I can't wait to come back. We'll eat at Palermo Pizza like we used to do. Then I'll take you to whatever mall you want, and yo can buy anything you desire, I promise. The day will be only about you." Richard said into the holorecorder, looking into the upper left hand corner of the image to make sure he was still plainly visible for whoever would see this message.

He then continued in a light-hearted tone, "I never got around to saying goodbye to Phil. He always like seeing you, so can you drop by and tell him I love him, even when he's annoying the piss out of me? Besides, my dad made it very clear he misses your cooking prowess around the house."

Richard then heard the heavy footfalls of someone approaching, and quickly finished the message by saying, "I'll see you soon, babe, and I promise I won't do anything too stupid. Too stupid, of course."

As Richard ended the message by pressing a large button on the bottom right hand corner of the hologram, Greg rounded a corner and asked, "Who you talkin' to Lionheart?"

"It's a message to my girlfriend back home." he replied without turning around to see his friend behind him, still holding the pad that contained his message reverently.

"Tell me about her." said Greg, pulling up a nearby chair and sitting down near his comrade, facing the bunk as Richard turned, letting both legs hang down and placing the pad down on the opposite side of the bunk.

"She's the most beautiful woman I've ever had the good pleasure of coming across. She's smart, kind, and has the most beautiful green eyes anyone has ever seen." he replied with an almost whimsical, off-world tone, now looking through his friend and thinking about all he described in his mind.

Greg raised an eyebrow and said, "Sounds like you're falling for her."

Without thinking, Richard said, "I am. There isn't another woman in the universe more perfect for me."

Greg stood up, looked at the chronometer on his wrist, and said before turning, "Be careful. Women have a nasty habit of breaking our hearts when we're away."

Richard, before rebuffing this, noticed his friend walking through the threshold of the entrance of the bunk room, leaving Richard all alone. He thought this over, but quickly subdued those thoughts, thinking she would never betray his obvious affection merely because he was away for some time to serve.

Once that was resolved, he looked down at his own chronometer, and began moving to put his uniform and suit on. He was scheduled to do his patrol route in one hour, and Richard was not one to be late. The last thing he felt like dealing with was an angry master-at-arms cussing him out for being a moment late.

Once he was done putting his black armor and helmet on, he polarized the solver visor, and moved to the armory to find his suppressed SMG, the weapon of choice for patrols in the tight confines of the massive vessel.

While walking to his destination, he garnered some looks of amazement and fear from the personnel milling about in the halls of the _Redemption_. He liked that feeling, of absolute control over every situation. He never felt that way before, when he was just a little kid in Pittsburgh. The suit, though, gave him the powers he always desired. That, coupled with his newfound strength, made him feel unbeatable. He felt he could take on a whole battalion of droids before even getting a scratch. Even more, he felt that there wasn't a situation in the universe he couldn't handle. In essence, he felt like the king of the world, and that no one would be able to stop his reign.

Once he was done with these thoughts, he found himself outside the doorway to the armory. Picking up his pace, he deactivated his visor to allow the computer to scan his eyes. Once the blue lights emanating from the slot in a fifteen centimeter line, moving up and down his eyes was gone, the door opened. It revealed a massive room with row upon row of guns and munitions for use by all personnel in the hulking ship. Not being distracted by the sight, he grabbed his weapon of choice before starting his route.

XXX

Grand Convocation Chamber, Senate Building, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

Oku was in the midst of a raging battle. Instead of bullets and plasma whizzing past his head, as he was almost accustomed to, he was dealing with a battle of wits between the war hawks, Palpatine, doves, and other political factions fighting against, or for, the Coalition. Instead of adrenalin pumping and his mind coming up with a myriad of options to assure victory or survival, he was fighting to make sure a yawn did not escape his grasp. Nothing bored him more than politics, and it was beginning to become evident. Luckily for him, this wasn't a full assembly, and it would soon be over.

The Supreme Chancellor noticed the admiral's eyes beginning to close and his facial features betraying him, and asked, "Does Admiral Oku have any input on this matter?" while trying to mask a malevolent smile.

Oku immediately shot up as the discussion around him ceased and all eyes were upon him. He tried to remember what the discussion was about, but simply could not remember. Cursing inwardly at his inability to even remember what was being said around him, he winged it.

Finally, he said, "I'm sorry Chancellor, politics is not my realm of expertise. My only specialty is winning battles, and that is exactly what I plan to do."

Palpatine was almost taken aback by this uncouth response, and the ensuing applause that came after this rebuttal. He was hoping the Senate would begin viewing the military of the Coalition as incompetent, but instead they began looking at him with something akin praise, believing he was doing his job and not interfering in theirs. This insubordination could not stand.

Palpatine thought to himself _'Oh how the Senate loves war heroes.'_, unable to prevent a benevolent smile from crossing his face, masking his inner hatred.

"And you shall have that opportunity soon enough Admiral. I cannot wait to see the proud 14th in action against the Separatist scum." he said, garnering his own applause from his loyal constituents in the Senate.

"Thank you Chancellor." replied Oku, giving the going man a customary bow before sitting back down and returning to his thoughts, allowing the diplomatic team behind him to fight this battle.

Oku was now almost completely awake, and entirely focused on the Supreme Chancellor near him. For some reason, one Oku couldn't put his finger on, the Chancellor was off. He never truly admired, or even appreciated politicians, seeing the whole lot of them corrupt pigs. The only people in government he respected were his own municipal council and the Coalition Congress, and that last one is because of the veterancy of those elected and how the laws they enact are seemingly for the greater good. Everyone else, though, is a cold hearted bastard.

Palpatine was different. He had an agenda, but he was apparently good at hiding it, and his power was discomfiting. Were it not for the fact that the Separatists attacked the Coalition, Oku was certain his government would have denounced Palpatine as a dictator. Desperate times call for desperate measures, though, and these were certainly desperate times.

_'He'll slip up eventually. And when he does, all he's hiding will be revealed.'_ Oku reasoned, now slipping slowly into sleep.

XXX

Outside 500 Republica, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

The local star was high above the sky, and the crowd milling around 500 Republica and its surrounding buildings made traversing the area difficult for someone who would like nothing more but to remain hidden. A mere ten meters form the entrance to the building, the Senator from Naboo peeked out of cover behind some false vegetation there for aesthetic purposes, and saw a gap in the crowd that would allow her entrance without detection. Walking as quickly as she could, she walked through the automatic doors at the entrance of the building, and felt like she was home free.

After giving the guards her identification, and allowing them to scan her person for any weapons they did not yet detect, she was given entrance, and quickly made her way to the lift that would lead to her hallway. After walking as quickly as she could through the elaborate, yet opulent hallways of the Senatorial Housing Building, she stood at attention before the massive, white-wash door that would lead to her husband. Within seconds, the door opened to reveal a completely empty lift, with a glass wall opposite her, allowing her the sight of Coruscant in all its splendor.

Walking in quickly, she pressed the button leading to her level, and waited facing the door patiently, allowing her feet to shift and tap the floor. She had waited long enough, she though, to bask in the presence of her husband, and now all she had to do was wait a handful more seconds. The lift ascended the building quickly enough, but to Padme, it felt like it was going on its slowest setting and through the thickest mud the galaxy could muster, as if Fate were trying to prolong the stay as much as possible. Soon enough, though, the lift stopped, and the door opened before her, revealing a similarly ordained hallway, with expensive paintings spread out in regular intervals, and small, lavish tables marking the entrance to every suite.

Wasting no time, she hurried through the hallway, rounded a corner to her left, and sped through the hallway until she stopped in front of her particular suite. Without conscious though, she began smoothing over her clothing, and smiled in appreciation of the fact that shew as finally home, before opening the door.

The sight before her was one she seldom saw when Anakin was around, but one she could quickly grow accustomed to. The suite was completely clean, almost sparkling, with everything where it ought to be. In the living room several meters away, Padmé noticed Threepio cleaning a table to perfection, before he noticed his mistress was back.

Standing straight as if perking up, Threepio said, "Oh Mistress Padmé, we've been waiting all day for you. Master Ani and I have been working all day to clean up this mess. Have you noticed what good work we did cleaning the apartment?"

"Yes Threepio. You did an excellent job. Where's Master Ani?" she said, looking around so as to see if she could answer her own question.

Before C-3PO could respond, a disembodied voice said seductively, "Oh how I love it when you call me that."

As Padmé was thinking of something witty to say in response, Anakin appeared from around the corner of the hallway leading to their bedroom, wearing the garb he put on but an hour and a half ago, and leaned against the wall. All thoughts of a protest were completely wiped from her mind as she wanted her husband's embrace again. She neared the man she loved in several long strides and hugged him as tightly as she could. Anakin returned the favor, kissing the top of her head as she laid hers against his bare chest, letting his unique scent wash over her and overwhelm all her senses.

There they stood, as the minutes passed, only enjoying each other's presence. It was finally broken when Padmé broke away, leaning back to lay a quick, yet all-too-familiar passionate kiss upon her Knight. Then, she broke away from his embrace, with a small amount of protest from Anakin's arms, and began walking down the hallway nearest them towards their bedroom, while disrobing.

She looked back when she was halfway through the hallway, seductively, giving a coy smile, and said, "Well are you going to join me, my love?"

Without having to say a word, Anakin ran after his wife, picked her up bridal style, and carried her the rest of the way to the bedroom. Once the door was behind them, he closed it with the Force, and carried her the rest of the way to their large bed. He placed her down reverently, and aided her in removing the rest of her clothing.

Once she was thoroughly de-clothed, Anakin looked at her with the eyes of a predator. This familiar look always sent shivers of excitement down Padmé's spine. That very same look that would make most women fearful made her anxious for her Ani to claim her as his own, something she was more than willing to allow. The thought that only she elicited that look from this Jedi made was something she felt utterly proud of, knowing that he only had looks for her, even in her current condition. When other men would rather their wives stay int the other room and leave them alone during their pregnancy, he would want nothing more but to make her feel like a woman, in a way only he could do.

Brushing those thoughts aside for a moment, she helped him out of what little clothing he had on, and from there, they enjoyed a time together as they often did when time was allotted to hem.

XXX

Jedi Temple, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

Once Ahsoka was done sparring whoever would dare face her (she did have a reputation as the padawan of the Hero With No Fear), she made her way to find Master Kenobi and tell him Anakin's message. It was a relatively long walk to his quarters, giving her ample opportunity to contemplate what her former Master was doing.

'_There isn't a chance in Sith Hell that he's meditating'_, she thought as she rounded a corner marked by red, austere pillars reaching far up and into the ceiling to find herself in yet another corridor. Ahsoka knew Anakin too well to think he was really meditating, at least for as long as he was saying he was. So what could possibly be distracting him, she thought.

The thought came to her head that he could be at some of the cantinas in the lower levels of Coruscant. It wouldn't be too out of character for her master, considering his track record. Upon further thought, though, she reasoned that he wouldn't risk a reprimand from Master Kenobi over some drinks.

She then hypothesized that he may be having fun with the clones. That idea was shot down soon enough, though, as she realized that he had plenty of time to talk to his comrades during missions, and while he loved them like brothers, that didn't mean he'd spend his only week off with them.

She then remembered the massive flux of happiness that always overtakes Anakin whenever he's near the senator from Naboo, Amidala. While those emotions would almost immediately become hidden beneath his strong mental shields, they still were noticed by the ever perceptive student. The same feelings always seemed to overtake her as well, and remained for a little longer before they, themselves became hidden. And even when those feeling were either suppressed or skillfully hidden away, the looks they shared and the small brushes they often found themselves sharing told enough of the story.

There was obviously something between the two that constituted something more than friendship, but Ahsoka couldn't figure out what. The young Padawan didn't think Anakin was truly idiotic enough to break the Code so monumentally. While Ahsoka may have tried to dismiss those thoughts, the parasite had already imbedded itself into her consciousness, and she would never be able to rid herself of it.

While all these thoughts moved around her head, she noticed Obi-Wan moving in the direction away from her and towards Anakin's room at a leisurely pace. She didn't have much time as she accelerated her pace to catch up with him before he opened his former padawan's door. Just as he reached forward to open it manually, she stepped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

Taken aback at the sudden nature of this, he asked with a raised eyebrow, "Hello Ahsoka. May I ask what you're doing?"

Ahsoka said in response as quickly as she could, "Master Skywalker told me to tell you that he's meditating for the next couple of days and will thus be incapacitated."

Obi-wan, his eyebrow still raised, said, "I find that highly unlikely, Ahsoka. May I please go and talk to Anakin myself?"

"As do I Master Kenobi, but I promised him no one would enter his room during that time, so I must uphold that." she said, trying to convince the Jedi Master with a pleading tone.

Obi-Wan thought this over, and felt that this one time, Anakin can afford to not be disturbed, regardless of what he may be doing. Besides, he had a good idea where Anakin may be, but hoped beyond hope that he was wrong.

"Alright Ahsoka. Tell him if you get the chance that he owes me." the Jedi Master said as he turned and began walking back to his chambers to meditate himself, sparing not a glance at the young Padawan of his former student.

Ahsoka let out a sigh of relief and decided she wanted to see if he might be meditating. She closed her eyes and probed through the Force to see if his signature was truly inside, but found nothing. She reasoned that he could be masking himself, for whatever reason, but such action was highly unlikely.

"I just hope he isn't where I think he is." she said to herself as she continued down the hallway, en route to the Archives.

* * *

><p>31 March 2587 (CSS Military Calendar), 19:56:4719:4 BBY

Grand Convocation Chamber, Senate Building, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

"And it is of great concern that I must formally request before this Galactic Senate that additional troops and ships be given to the Grand Army and Navy of the Republic, so we may quicken our victory over the Separatist enemy." said Supreme chancellor Palpatine before the fully assembled Senate, who was voting on this, among many issues raised before them.

Once Palpatine was done with his speech, every pod had the issue with both choices before the Senators in the form of a small hologram emanating from the holographic projector at the center of their pods. There, in the form of small blue letters, were the words that could be translated as 'yes' or 'no'.

Padmé, who was growing tired of being away from her husband, as evidence by her off-handed sigh, voted 'no' as quickly as the option was put before her. She had been accustomed to voting for this option on all of Palpatine's requests, seeing as most of them dealt with giving him more power or prolonging the war somehow. Little did she know that what was supposed to be a confidential system where senator's votes were secret until stated weren't so confidential. That wouldn't have deterred her, but it got Palpatine's attention when he illegally recorded who voted for what.

The vote was merely a formality. Palpatine knew all too well that his additional troops would be allowed to be put into service. The only reason he wasted time doing it was because he needed to know who was going to be a threat and oppose to him in the years to come with something as rudimentary as a useless and common Senatorial vote. He was fully expecting Padmé's name to be among those disloyal, but others caused more suspicion, like Bail Organa and Mon Mothma. Palpatine assumed they were against him, but never had definitive proof like he did now. He let out a little laugh when he realized soon enough he didn't need proof to imprison and execute his enemies.

Once the vote was finished, and the resolution carried, as it always did, Palpatine gave his usual goodbye speech, saying he wishes the war to conclude soon so he can give up his emergency powers. Any reasonable being would be able to conclude that he was full of it, but then again, there were few reasonable beings in the Galactic Senate.

The pod he was on descended into his private office, a room ordained by red carpet, red paint, and various ancient and elaborate sculptures and paintings around the room. From there, he turned and made his way to his suite through the short hallway connecting the two rooms. Once he was safely in his office, and behind his black desk, he turned his attention to the list of secret orders that he had to set his plans in motion. Most of the orders were simply there to give off the appearance that they were there as a last resort for any disaster. There were only three he planned on using. Order 66 to name all Jedi enemies of the Republic and calling for their immediate execution. Newly created Order 151, calling for the forced exodus of all Coalition troops in Republic space, or, if they do not comply, their death. And finally, Order 73, the death of the following senators, because of the political or military threat they pose to the Republic. It then goes on to name senators Palpatine felt threatened by, or simply wanted dead. Some of the names on the list were, of course, Jar-Jar Binks, Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and last, but certainly not least, Padmé Amidala.

Padmé Amidala. She was always a nuisance. The mere fact that she genuinely believes that the Republic is far superior than an autocracy is testament to her idiocy and naivety. Her sense of honor and liberty are foolish at best. The only reason she still lives is because of the sway she has with Anakin's heart, and thus she plays a major role in the grand scheme. It will be a pleasure, though, to see her suffer for her insolence.

As for the Coalition, they are capable of just the same corruption as the Galactic Republic. All he needs is to come into contact with those who desire power, and they always exist in all governments, and offer them what they want. Palpatine also knew he was being watched by them. The Office of Naval Intelligence, he believes they're called. He knows all too well all his actions thus far have been observed by them. The fact they haven't reported him yet is another testament to their character. Maybe it is them who can be swayed to his side. The last thing Palpatine needs is another hostile force that sides with the Jedi or the inevitable rebellion.

Yes, ONI is where he needs to focus on. He just needs to find a way to gain the loyalty of their leader, and his plans will surely go unaltered. Even if they don't, Palpatine also knows the Coalition simply doesn't have the numbers to resist an invasion by his military, regardless of how powerful they are. They will be nothing more than a small nuisance if they resist. They would be foolish not to do otherwise.

XXX

CLASSIFIED, CLASSIFIED, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

"Sir, I got visual of the Chancellor." said an anonymous agent to his superior, as they were spying on the suspicious character.

The unknown agent moved closer to the screen, and observed the old man as he typed into the holo that he was holding. They zoomed in to find the names of additional senators added to Order 73.

Once Palpatine was done, the younger agent looking at the screen turned around to face his superior, and asked, "Should we report the update to New Mombasa?"

"Yes, absolutely. Ruckus will want to see this information." he replied in a dark, deep, almost inhuman voice that was characteristic of aging ONI agents.

As he ordered this, the younger agent fumbled around with the machinery before him and began typing into the terminal he was facing. Once he was done, he sent his message through an encrypted channel to New Mombasa. ONI quickly came to the conclusion that for information to travel through the slipspace portals, it would take roughly one week, give or take a few hours. The message would be before Ruckus by then, and his next action would be taken in his grand plan.

His grand plan. That was something no one, not even his superiors, knew about. It was a tightly kept secret that he let no one know about, but for it to be so important as to keep it a secret from everyone, all should assume it would be sinister in nature.

All of this was of little concern to the young agent, who immediately went back to observing and recording Palpatine.

The young man turned around before the superior left and asked, "How long till all the Senators on that list are bugged?"

The older man stopped, waiting for something, and finally said after a silence that felt too long, "While I'm not allowed to tell you, I would say that we will need more terminals by week's end."

"Alright sir." was all the younger man said as he turned back to his work, leaving the older man to his own thoughts.

_'Poor kid thought he was going to see some James Bond shit, and gets some shitty excuse for an assignment. Oh well, asshole needs to be spied on, that's for sure'_ the old man thought as he left the room in their secret location and laid back down on the couch they were provided. Before falling to the clutches of deep sleep, he looked around the room at all the circuitry and tubes that made up the inside of the room they were supposed to reside in. The intricate maze they formed on the walls and ceiling dazzled and confounded him, giving him the distraction he needed to find sleep.

XXX

CSS _Redemption_, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

"Francis. How much longer till we ship out to help with the blockade again?" asked Oku while facing the blue holographic representation of the smart A.I.

"Just three more days sir. Three more days." replied the A.I. nonchalantly, hoping Oku would end the conversation so it could focus the bulk of its efforts in going through the massive archives the Jedi have at their disposal.

Oku observed the holographic representation was dimmer than usual, and the A.I. lacked more intricate features. Oku concluded it was still focusing on going through the massive history of the Jedi Archives. The A.I. was like this ever since Oku ordered it to gain some more useful knowledge on the Republic. Since the Jedi Archives have a reputation, he concluded that was the best place to begin such endeavor. Little did the admiral know that the Jedi Archives on Coruscant was one of the largest collections of knowledge in the galaxy.

The only reason Francis didn't immediately go rampant was because of the bounds and leaps the Coalition was able to achieve in the A.I. arena. All know how Cortana was able to assimilate all recorded human history within her first several hours of existence, but that was nothing compared to the 25,000 plus years of galactic history stored in the Jedi Archives. The A.I. since Cortana have since been upgraded to be able to assimilate more knowledge at a quicker rate, but they seldom came across a challenge of their liking. This was really the first time an A.I. has been almost completely strained trying to download all the information it was gathering.

As for how they were allowed access to this massive store of knowledge, they weren't. Even though the Jedi never gave permission to go riffling through the Archives, Oku reasoned they wouldn't mind too much, and Francis could use the practice in hacking into Republic and Separatist computer systems.

"Haw far into their history are you Francis?" asked Oku to the ever diminishing image of the Revolutionary soldier.

"I'm currently at the establishment of the Jedi Order, and there's very little after that." replied the A.I. as it tried to multitask, taking in information and communicating to its superior officer.

"Alright, tell me when you're done." replied Oku, thinking Francis would be done any minute from now.

"And..I'm almost...done! There, finished." said the A.I. as it finally finished downloading all the information the Jedi Archives had to offer. If there was anything recorded that ever happened in the galaxy and Francis didn't know about it, the Jedi would have to update its Archives.

"So, any useful information?" asked Oku, his interest in the matter peaking now that the image of Francis was back to its full glory.

"More than you could possibly imagine sir. More than you could imagine." replied Francis, sifting through all the information he just gathered over the past several hours.

"Well, entertain me." said Oku, hoping all the waiting was not for nothing.

Francis waited, trying to find the right information, and finally found it, saying, "The Jedi Order has existed for over 23,000 years, and very little of the Order's rules have changed. Effectively, they're a bunch of dogmatic wizards capable of telekinesis and unwilling to accept the march of time."

Oku was taken aback by this, thinking highly of the Order thus far. Oku himself was never a fan of the over religious back in the Milky Way, and the thought of a theocracy disgusted him. Seeing the Order little more than just that, a theocracy, created a great divide in him.

"Well, is there anything about the rules that should be changed, by our standards?" asked Oku, hoping there was nothing.

"Not much. Mostly sound like a bunch of celibate Buddhist monks, who happen to have swords of plasma and are willing to use them." said Francis, satisfied with his comparison.

Before Oku could ask anything else, he was cut off by Francis, who said, "Although, shortly after their founding, the Order swore allegiance to the Republic, which was recently created itself. Basically, they're like a police force slash army in times of war."

"That's quite disturbing." said Oku, believing any theocratic society incapable of doing police work or serving in the military without causing issues.

"Agreed, but, it seems to work out for them so far." said Francis, seeing the sheer amount of time the Republic and Order has survived together.

"Oh well. I can worry about it later. Any more useful information on recent events?" inquired the admiral, hoping the change the subject.

"Not much we don't already know. A lot about the threat posed by the Sith in this war, though." said Francis, intrigued by that last part.

"The Sith. They're the polar opposites of the Order, right?" said Oku, trying to recall where he read that.

"Exactly, but they follow a 'Rule of Two' where there is one master and one apprentice. This doesn't include 'Dark Assassins' or others who use the 'Dark Side', though." said Francis in response.

"Alright. Duly noted. Anything on Palpatine?" said Oku, remembering the feeling he felt about Palpatine recently.

"Almost nothing worth noting. What there is comes from HoloNews, and is all speculation or rumors." said Francis, almost disappointingly.

"Alright. That'll be all then Francis. If I need anything else, you'll be the first I'll ask." said Oku, waving his hand to indicate what he was saying.

XXX

500 Republica, Coruscant, Coruscant system, Coruscant Sector

While Palpatine's plans were beginning, Anakin and Padmé were continuing to enjoy the other's presence.

Padmé rolled over to look down upon her tired husband, her wet and disheveled hair falling down around them or cast behind her shoulders, and said through her seductive smile, "Ready for round two?"

Even though Anakin was tired, covered in sweat and his own hair equally disheveled, he returned her smile and said "More like round twenty, and yes." before flipping her over and passionately kissing her lips.

He began moving down her neck, taking in as much of her taste as he could, while he could. Then, while the opportunity was still there, he placed his hand on her slightly swollen stomach, and sensed the child there. From there, he looked deeply into the Force, and felt its presence. A smile of astonishment spread across his face as he felt its presence connect with him already. Then he felt another presence pock at him clumsily in his wife's womb. He stopped everything he was dong to his eager wife, and blankly stared into space, causing great worry her.

She opened her eyes, and looked into his to say worryingly, "What's wrong love?"

Anakin immediately snapped out of his trance with the help of his wife's beautiful voice, and said silently, "We're having twins."

What followed was a short-lived silence, which was quickly ended when Padmé came to her senses and showed Anakin how truly happy she was, through physical means. Claiming his lips as her own, and beginning a searing kiss that always left them both breathless was a good way to start.

While he was silenced, she said with an almost massive grin after the kiss concluded, "Well then, this moment is very special. Let's not ruin it."

Anakin, realizing what his beautiful wife was saying, returned to his previous actions. With the practical adrenalin rush that he just experienced, he was able to give Padmé exactly what she wanted without fatigue. Unfortunately for the two, Anakin experienced an adrenalin crash, and again practically passed out from exhaustion. Padmé took her cue, and moved close to her protector, allowing his arms to move around her, controlled by the phantoms of instinct, embracing her unconsciously. She, to, quickly found sleep, and they spent yet another day in each other's embrace.

Anakin awoke several hours later, prompting his wife to do the same.

He looked into her perfect brown eyes and said with a joking smile after suppressing a yawn, "If we keep doing this until we pass out, I'm sure one of us will have a heart attack."

Padmé instinctively gave him a kiss, and said in response with her own coy smile, "Then, if it is me, I will die a very happy woman."

"And leave me with the guilt of loving you to death. Thanks dear." Anakin said jokingly, leaning to give her another kiss.

Once the kiss was done, he leaned further in, close to her right ear, and whispered, "I love you"

"And I, you." she replied dreamily.

Once the exchange was over, Padmé pulled herself out of bed, and began moving to begin preparations for dinner. That is, if they would get that far out the door without coming up with something interesting to do in the bedroom, again.

* * *

><p>1 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 07:16:5419:4 BBY

500 Republica, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

As the cool night air of Coruscant was swiftly being replaced by the warm breeze brought on by the rising star, Anakin stood alone on the veranda of Padmé's apartment, deep in meditation, his legs spread at shoulder-length and arms folder behind his back. The Knight seldom took time out of his day to mediate while in the presence of his angel, but found that since he was awake and she was still sound asleep, he best at least try to delve into the constant river that was the Force.

Clearing hiss mind and stretching out his feelings, Anakin allowed the Force to flow effortlessly through him, dictating his thoughts. There was something to be desired with this state of mind. Utter contentment equal only to the presence of his wife was achieved by Anakin while he explored the depths of the omnipresent flow of energy. From this point, he could feel almost every being on Coruscant. Each individual life signature was felt, and even seen for those nearest him. They all seemed interconnected, with some fibers or stings thicker and brighter than others.

Risking a glance into the Senate Building Rotunda, Anakin flt a powerful dark presence engulfing the entire nearby area. So strong was the presence that he felt shivers move up his spine in real time, and hairs stand up at attention as if anticipating a cold shill to waft through the area. The Force around the Senate Building seemed elusive, dark, mysterious, and wholly evil. He attempted to break through the dark haze surrounding the building, but was quickly rebuffed, as if repelled by a force stronger than anything he had ever felt before, save for Master Yoda himself. Nevertheless, he resolved to puncture the dark cloud around the building, and continued to batter it with his probes.

The dark cloud seemed unperturbed by his attacks, as if nothing was going on against it. Every probe against the dark presence was simply thrown back at him with force.

Shaking his head in defeat, Anakin retreated from the Force, and returned to real time, only to see the local star had risen slightly since he had entered the realm of the Force. Stretching outwith his feelings, Anakin felt Padmé awake from her slumber, and stir in the bed. For the briefest of moments, he felt a ping of fear and cold resignation from her, and risked looking into the bond to see that in her mind, she was reeling from the thought that he had departed already without saying his goodbyes. While not an uncommon occurrence, he resolved recently to end that dreadful practice, if for no other reason other than to give her some sense of closure to ease her mind slightly. She couldn't afford to be anything but calm now with her condition.

Turning foot, Anakin re-entered the apartment through the open archway of the veranda, and closed the glass doors behind him. Still attuned with Padmé's feelings, he felt her excitement over the sound of the veranda doors closing, and felt her jump out of bed, before gathering in her arms a robe and making her way towards his direction.

As soon as she was visible a mere few meters away as she turned a corner to enter the living room, Anakin wasted no time in gathering her in his arms and holding onto her tightly. She clung to him with equal passion, holding onto him as if he were the most important thing in the universe. Then, against her will, she began to cry silently, while trembling. Choosing not to stop herself it continued, and Anakin quickly took notice of her actions.

Pushing her back slightly, Anakin cupped her face with his hands, using his thumbs to wipe away the tears staining her face, while saying, "What's wrong angel? I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere yet."

Without even bothering to chose her words, Padmé spoke form her heart, saying, "I'm tired of this damn war, Ani. This has been the most amount of time I've spent with you in four months."

She then looked down, and said in a low murmur, "I fear this war is exacting a toll we can't pay back. We're losing time with each other because of a war neither of us believe in."

He had yet to say anything, so she continued, now looking up and into his worried, loving blue eyes, while saying, "Every day you're gone, I die a little inside. Every day I hear a rumor that you got injured or were..." taking a breath, she continued, "I can't handle the thought of losing you to this Force-forsaken war, but you face death, and cheat it, every day."

"Padmé," Anakin began slowly, drawing her undivided attention, "You know that at the drop of a credit, I'd leave it all behind, right? There wouldn't be a moment's hesitation if you asked me to run away with you. No regrets, no worries."

"I would want nothing more, Ani, but we can't." Padme replied, before continuing, her voice carrying current of resignation and defeat, "The people need you, as much as they need me. We're instrumental in ending this damn war, and billions of lives depend on us. I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror if I knew I gave up on all of them."

Anakin's own eyes teared up slightly, before he replied while looking into the eyes of his beloved, "Then just remember that I'll always come back to you. Death can't claim my life, because you are my life. I'll always come back to you, to hold you, and take all the worries away."

He then placed his left hand on Padmé's growing abdomen, and said, "I will do everything I can to make sure they grow up in peace. By my life, I swear this; by the time they're born, this galaxy will know peace."

"Now," he continued, while turning to look out the glass door of the veranda, while still clutching onto Padmé with his left hand, a small smile gracing his features, "Let's enjoy the view, then grab some breakfast. We still have a full day ahead to do as we wish."

* * *

><p>2 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 20:54:3119:4 BBY

500 Republica, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

On the edge of the platform where a speeder and R2 until waited, a couple forbidden to ever meet waited in each other's embrace, feeling that the universe wronged them by separating them for so long. They wanted time to stop, and simply bask in this instant forever, free of war, death, politics, tyranny, everything that caused them pain. But, as time had shown, this was but another scene in the ongoing tragedy of their relationship, where they could truly be happy for but a week at most, and wait for months on end to return to that utter glee.

"What I would do to stay but one more night." Anakin said in between kisses with his wife as a cold gust of wind blew through, allowing his cloak and her robe to billow out,covering them from any lurking eyes.

"While I share the same hope Ani, that the war will end tonight and we can live together, that isn't going to happen." said Padmé, eyes looking down in defeat upon the realization that her foolish dreams were just that, dreams.

"Don't remind me." he said, now looking upon the ever saddening woman before him and feeling her pain coursing through him like a knife in the back. He would love nothing more but be tucked away with her and enjoy their lives, away from war and death and politics, but knew her sense of duty would forbid that from occurring.

"One day, Ani. One day." she said, leaning in to lay her head upon his chest and allow him to envelop her, feeling protected from all the galaxy could throw at her.

"That day is close at hand, angel. I can feel it." Anakin said reassuringly, trying to sooth his pained wife. He knew all too well the end of the war was still long into the future, even with the Coalition's assistance.

For just a brief moment, there was complete silence on the platform. The wind and speeders died off for a small fraction of a moment, as the two enjoyed each other for the last time in months. Then, far too quickly for his liking, Anakin felt the need to pull away from his wife, and begin his trip to sneak back into the Temple before anyone noticed. While he was practically a master at this art, that didn't leave him reckless, as he knew the consequence if he was discovered and the reason for his absence known.

"Come back to me." Padmé finally said, tears forming in her ever so beautiful eyes, marring her features and tugging at Anakin's heart.

Anakin had to fight back his own tears as he said, "Always love. There isn't anything in the universe that can keep us apart."

After his reassurance, he turned quickly to avoid having to endure that painful look on his angel. Nothing pained the young man more than seeing his wife, his perfect soul mate, the woman of his dreams, sad to any degree. Every time she let a tear escape her eyes, he felt a pain unlike any other tear into his soul, like a lightsaber running him through and staying there for all time.

These moments were far more common when he was away from home. The only thing in the known universe that could ever keep that pain away, and allow himself to achieve inner happiness was Padmé. That kept him going. Kept him alive. Knowing he had something wonderful to come back home to.

With this in his mind, he entered the cockpit of the speeder, and looked back to his wife, now trying to regain her composure, for the both of them. His memory flashed of the angels of Iego, and how even though they were truly beautiful in their own right, they were nothing compared to his own angel.

Now unable to control himself, a single tear left his eye, and he turned away, feeling defeated. The R2 until let out a series of whistles and alarms, indicating for him to turn, and he saw his wife with the same single tear escaping her own eye. Now happy that at least he wasn't alone in this burden, he let a slight grin escape his control, and she did the same, feeling the same surge of togetherness.

For this brief moment, he allowed their bond to fill to capacity with his undying love for her, practically blinding anyone who even looked in its general direction through the Force. At the moment, he cared little for the implications it may raise if any Jedi were observing, knowing only of the knowledge that he had to try whatever possible to make his angel happy again. An instant later, he felt that familiar feeling of his feelings reciprocated come to him, filling his heart with such happiness he didn't know what to do other than to smile. Maintaining his gaze with Padme he saw the same smile grace her features, sending his heart soaring with the knowledge that he could make her infinitely more beautiful just by showing his emotions to her, unobstructed.

After what felt like but a second of thoughtful staring, Anakin was practically forced by his faithful R2 until to begin his journey before it was too late. Nodding, he turned his speeder around and began the journey to the Temple, and with that came the surge of loneliness and helplessness that only Padmé could feel that this moment.

Such pain he had begun to be accustomed to. The thought of being away from his wife was, while painful, something he learned to cope with.

After another series of whistles and sounds, Anakin responded to the clatter, "We'll be back soon enough Artoo. I promise."

XXX

CSS _Redemption_, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

As the artificial lights of Coruscant filled the view ports of the massive supercarrier, everyone was trying desperately to get whatever sleep they could. As soon as the light of Coruscant Prime rose above the horizon, they would begin their first mission with their Republic allies. At the moment, though, as the kitchen staff began moving to their quarters, there was a group of four enjoying their time over the safe bastion of hope that was Coruscant, before entering into the war again.

"This is our last game before we should go to bed. We got a long day ahead." said Richard, disappointed that their fun would have to end so soon,

"Yeah. Don't tell me again." replied Greg, still feeling the effects of alcohol in his system.

"We need to get up early you drunk bastard." said Francois, playfully trying to anger his friend.

"Fuck off Frenchie." said Greg calmly, taking another shot of whiskey after saying this.

"Alright ladies, chill. Rick, your call." said Fred, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Four and Two." he replied, waiting for Fred to roll the die in front of them.

Fred, on command, rolled his die. This die, once cast, moved quickly across the surface of the table. Once it finished moving, it had the six black dots on one side facing up.

"You lose again Lionheart." said Greg, now excited that victory in this gambling game might be his.

After several more casts, the game was decided. Francois was the victor, considering he had the most money by the end. While everyone was focused on the game in front of them, the Master-at-Arms noticed they were still up past the instituted curfew, and came to alert them of his presence, as well as possibly punish them, depending on their attitudes.

"What the hell are you bastards doing past curfew?" he yelled at the startled group, who were now trying to stand and salute while not indicating what they were playing.

Once the formalities were over with, the group of four hastily made their way to their quarters and away from the roaming Master-at-Arms. Richard fell upon his hammock, his head coming within inches of the solid steel support beam as usual. Once he found a comfortable position, he closed his eyes and envisioned his return to home as a hero, with his girlfriend, Marley, in his arms, and the happiest grin on his face as his friend, Fred, departed right behind him and they basked in the towns glorious celebration. With this thought fresh in his head, Richard quickly found sleep.

* * *

><p>3 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 07:46:5719:4 BBY

Jedi Temple, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

"Do you know where we're going, or what the general strategy is, Anakin?" asked Obi-Wan, who was walking through the high arching halls of the Jedi Temple with his friend towards the hanger bay.

"I know enough Master. We go to Boz Pity, destroy some droids, and return to Coruscant to call it a day." he replied, smugness practically oozing between every word.

"If only it were so easy Anakin. Your job is to...are you alright Anakin. You seemed distracted." he replied, now noticing his friend had stopped at a window overlooking the cityscape. Kenobi joined his friend, although he was looking for whatever Anakin could have been distracted by, but found nothing worth noting.

Kenobi, noticing his words were falling on deaf ears, probed the Force for whatever could be causing this feeling of sadness to sweep over his long-time brother. Noticing his mental shields were momentarily weakened, Obi-Wan risked a glance inside, and found a myriad of emotions swirling around Anakin's mind, and even noticed a bright fiber extending outward from Anakin towards the direction he was looking at.

Finally, once Anakin noticed what Obi-Wan was doing, and seeing his apparent nervousness, raised his shields as high as they would go and said, "Nothing Master. I'm just going to miss Coruscant."

Obi-Wan, pulling back form his probing, looked at his friend, feeling the sorrow overtaking his former padawan even through those massive shield typical blocking him, and said under his breath, "I fear it may be more than that."

After that little statement, Anakin snapped out of his trance, and looked at Kenobi to say with a calm voice that was completely uncharacteristic of the young Knight, "It was nothing Master, I assure you. Now, we have a mission to depart for."

Kenobi couldn't help but notice the hesitance Anakin took to going on this mission. It was becoming more common for Anakin to regret leaving Coruscant. He could feel his former padawan lose the excitement he used to have when he embarked on these types of dangerous missions. Now all he felt was a longing of some sort, before feeling that emotions disappearance behind Anakin's unusually strong mental shields.

As the two entered the hanger bay, and approached their vessels, Obi-Wan couldn't help but ask, "Anakin, what's gotten into you. You used to be completely giddy over a mission like this. One filled with danger and excitement. Now you feel like you're leaving something close behind. A longing I've only felt in you in recent years."

Anakin looked at his personal fighter, then back at Obi-Wan, and noticed a distraught look on his old master's face.

The Knight said, "It sounds like you miss my old self." a smile crossing his face.

Obi-Wan, still looking distraught, said in response, "Far from it, but I am less than pleasantly surprised. You were my opposite, and that kept me, for the most part, balanced. Now you are more like me, in far more ways than I like."

Anakin's smile faded, and he said to Obi-Wan, while looking at his fighter, "I just want an end to this war, Master. All I want is a return to peace."

Obi-Wan sensed his friends lie, but also noticed that delving any deeper might unveil something he may not like seeing. The Master chose to accept this answer, and question Anakin's motives later, when more time was available. Kenobi neared his fighter, entered the cockpit, and began the usual pre-flight checks to make sure it didn't fall apart beneath him. Anakin did the same, and soon, both were in the sky with the rest of the Republic vessels. The two Jedi Fighters, as well as several others from other Masters and Knights, boarded the flagship of the fleet, the GNR _Resolute_.

Anakin took one last look at the cityscape before him, and noticed 500 Republica off in the distance. Before he could feel the pain of seeing his wife in his memories again, he mentally blocked them from the Jedi near him, and allowed himself to dive into those somber thoughts.

Silently, he prayed that he could return swiftly, and see a quick end to this terrible war, before it took him, or worse, his beloved.

XXX

CSS _Redemption_, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

High above the surface of the planet, as Coruscant Prime rose above the horizon to allow light to glimmer off the reflective surfaces of many of the skyscrapers, the Coalition supercarrier angled itself upward and fired its engines. It gave off a light blue exhaust as it ascended up to the heavens to rejoin the rest of the 14th Fleet, breaking through the cloud cover and into the void of space in a matter of moments.

Once they left the atmosphere, everyone released their restraints, and mingled about the vessel as they would in preparation for the three day long trip through slipspace. It moved quickly through the void with the rest of the Republic fleet that had joined them, and formed up at the forefront of the assembled fleet.

"Lucas, send a message to the rest of the fleet, as well as the Republic's own. Tell them we leave in five." ordered Oku to his communications officer.

"Yes sir." was the ensign's response as he began typing into the terminal in front of him, relaying the message to the rest of the 14th and Open Circle within a matter of seconds.

As ordered, the Republic Open Circle Fleet, as well as the 14th Fleet, formed up side by side, and once the five minutes were up, the portals of slipspace opened up in front of the Coalition fleet as the Republic fleet disappeared into hyperspace.

* * *

><p>7 April 2587 (CSS military Calendar), 15:20:43<p>

ONI Alpha Base, New Mombasa, Earth, Sol system, CSS Homeworld Sector

"Here's that report you requested, sir." said the modest secretary as she places a manila folder on the dark-brown desk of the ONI Director.

Ruckus, who was previously looking out into the African Savanna and the super-city before him, turned his chair and looked at the manila folder in front of him, half of it darkened by a shadow of an unseen object off to the side of the desk. Director Ruckus then looked up into the brown eyes of the secretary before him, and smiled innocently.

"Thanks Pam. Tell Hank I said hello, would you?" replied Ruckus, trying to feign interest in the secretary's life.

Were it not for that almost genuine smile, anyone and their mother would be able to tell he was lying, trying to simply distract the secretary and give her a false sense of importance. Ruckus had nothing to gain from this simple friendly relationship was building, but it never hurt to manipulate with those below him.

"I will sir." she replied as she turned and moved back through the door to the office at the top of the ONI Alpha Base tower.

As soon as the door was closed and he was reunited with silence, he looked down upon the folder. The front of the folder, in a red stamp mark, was _Top Secret_, indicating the nature of whatever was said inside. Along the side, written in black ink to complement the dark nature of the report below, was the title of the contents of the folder.

_Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's Executive Orders_

As the title suggests, the report, easily 30 pages long, was in regards to each executive order Palpatine had at his disposal, both secret and public. Ruckus knew all too well since his first agents were sent to Andromeda how difficult this operation would be, considering the nature of the Supreme Chancellor.

Upon seeing the contents of the folder, Ruckus was completely convinced that Palpatine wanted him to know all this information. It seemed like too much information he should have at his disposal so early. The folder had reports about every order from 1, to 66, to even 73, each one worse than the last. It was simply too easy to see who Palpatine intended to kill upon his coup. A part of Ruckus concluded that Palpatine realized that the Coalition would look upon this information and would either ignore it as unreliable, or would not act accordingly, believing it would be easier to deal with a tyrant than a corrupt republic.

To some extent, the Supreme Chancellor had a point. History had always shown that allies didn't really care about the well being of their allies' populace, so long as they remained allies. That same history had shown that governments are more willing to simply put tyrants in control until they run their use, then depose of them and either replace them, or on the rare occasion, put a republic in place.

Besides, Palpatine probably also concluded that the Coalition was all too aware of the corruption of the Senate, and would allow his purges so long as it got rid of the people inhibiting the process, whatever that process may be. It was a morbid realization, but one Ruckus would expect of an expert politician such as Palpatine.

Had Ruckus been more of an idealist, like he used to be, he would have reported this to the Coalition Congress immediately, and probably also to every military commander that would listen, hoping they would know what to do. But as his life progressed, the idealist turned into a pessimist, and he knew all too well that the government, and by extension, military, would do nothing. The Coalition needed this tyranny, to defeat the Separatists, and Palpatine needed the Coalition to look the other way.

What if Ruckus could use Palpatine to his advantage, though? Surely, Palpatine doesn't want this knowledge to be available just yet. Maybe they can have an agreement. The Chancellor scratch his proverbial back, and he returns the favor. Yes, the two will make excellent partners, for the time being. Once Palpatine has run his usefulness, though, then he can be disposed of for all Ruckus cares.

Ruckus also knew there were still idealists, those who would rise up to fight this move, and would continue to do so until the fight is won. The Director didn't care. They wouldn't know anyway. This information would get tucked away, practically covered in black ink from a permanent marker, and placed in some inconspicuous file in the vast collection of folders available from the ONI main database. No one would know of what he knew, and no one would care to act until it was far too late.

As for the actual folder, Ruckus believed it would be handy to have around, in case he needed it for any reason. The director opened one of the cabinet most people would overlook on his desk, and placed the folder gently inside, believing that was the last time it would see the light of day.

Just as it ought to be.

**Yeah, I know chapters about peace, without bullets whizzing by, are not my specialty, but this chapter has some revelations absolutely necessary for the story arc. Don't fret, though, because the next one is full of explosions, bullets, plasma, and we get to finally see the Helljumpers in action.** **As for the discrepancy over Starkiller, I would like to address that now. He is, by a wide margin, one of the most powerful Force-sensitives** **in the galaxy, but he wasn't born until 19 BBY. Nevertheless, I feel obliged to put him in this to give Anakin a true challenge when his full potential is reached. I'd love to go further behind my reasoning behind changing this detail, but that would include spoilers over the rest of the story, and for the good of the people, I cannot allow that. **


	6. Chapter 5: Baptism of Fire, Part I

Chapter 5: Baptism of Fire, Part I

5 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 13:21:43/19:4 BBY

Separatist Command Headquarters, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

Boz Pity, or the graveyard planet, has been home to the Separatists since the beginning of the war, and they had ensured it would remain in their hands at any cost. Commanding the droid armies that occupied the relatively peaceful planet was Asajj Ventress, a feared and almost respected Sith warrior and general. She had striven since the beginning of the war to become Dooku's apprentice after Sidious had been defeated, as per Sith tradition. Little did the Dark Acolyte know, but she had already been replace by someone far more powerful.

At the moment, dark clouds covered the sky above the base, as a secret meeting was taking place between master and apprentice. In an abandoned conference room in the far side of the west wing, Dooku presided next to a dark hooded figure. The hood and cloak he wore blocked his face and body from the light, and kept his identity a secret. Dooku, on the other hand, enjoyed to have people, especially his subordinates, see him without anything blocking their vision. He believed it exerted power. His apprentice knew it exerted arrogance, and nothing more.

"The Republic and their Coalition allies near this planet. Our time is thus, short." said the Dark Lord, looking out of the window that revealed the massive graves that this planet was famous for.

"I know Master. What am I to do?" said his apprentice in a deep voice, the evil in it almost becoming a physical manifestation through the tone of his voice.

"Ensure Ventress does not survive the battle. She is nothing more but a liability now." Dooku ordered, his confidence quite evident through his voice.

"Yes my Master. And what of Skywalker or Kenobi?" the hooded figure continued, hoping his master would say something along the lines of "Kill them."

"Patience, my Apprentice. Our time will come. At the moment, just focus on avoiding detection." Dooku responded, slightly angry that his apprentice would be so impatient.

"Yes my Master. Is that all?" the hooded figure continued, now facing the doorway, ready to make a quick exit.

"Yes, Starkiller."

As soon as those words were said, the hooded figure was gone, having left the room as quickly as his legs and the Force would carry him. This left Dooku to brood. He, in all honesty, almost felt sorry for having to kill Ventress. Almost. She was still a liability, and would provide an excellent test for his apprentice's skills. He will need them in coming days.

XXX

Orbit of Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

Far above the atmosphere of the graveyard planet, a massive fleet of Confederate ships had assembled. Before the Coalition's entry into the war, there was only no more than one hundred vessels stationed in orbit of the planet. Now that the Coalition had arrived, though, that number had increased dramatically. Now over three hundred and fifty orbited the planet, and was easily the largest Confederate fleet assembled thus far for a defense mission.

Why did Boz Pity was to have such a massive garrison? At the moment, it was the home of some of the most prominent men in the Confederacy, and the Separatists knew the Republic would want this Mid-rim planet back at any cost.

All across the vast, empty void of space, mines and automated attack turrets dotted the maps. If there was going to be an assault, it would be costly.

Yes, costly. That's all the Separatists hoped for anymore. The war had dragged on for too long, and the Outer Rim Sieges were going miserably for them. For every victory the Confederacy scored, the Republic scored two of their own. The Separatists still had massive fleets and armies at their disposal, but the Republic was winning the war of attrition. If this battle was lost, then the Separatists would have to resort to less than savory tactics to even have any hope of independence.

* * *

><p>6 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 13:09:3419:4 BBY

Orbit of Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

Over five hundred thousand kilometers from Boz Pity, over 250 portals opened out of the void of space, and flanked by well over 80 Republic vessels fresh out of hyperspace. Within seconds, the portals closed, leaving behind a wide variety of ships in almost perfect wedge formation.

Soon enough, the Separatist fleet guarding the planet broke off in line formation to attack the new threat. At the center of the formation was the infamous _Invisible Hand_, with General Grievous, fresh from the battlefield from a far way planet, on board.

As for the joint strike force, Before any shots were fired, three fighters left the hanger of the _Resolute_, itself in the center of the left side of the Republic formation, and boarded with the CSS _Redemption_.

"Sir," began the shrill mechanical voice of one of Grievous' droid subordinates, "It appears that three Jedi Interceptors have docked with the Coalition vessel."

Grievous, upon being told this from one of the droids in his bridge, said "What are the Jedi doing? They're still in the same battle, just a different ship."

The allied fleet, with the _Redemption_ at the head, stopped its movements some two hundred thousand kilometers away from the approaching Separatists fleet.

Inside the _Redemption_, Admiral Oku was standing hunched over the railing looking out towards the planet and fleet still so far away, then said to the crew before him, "Mark targets. Bandits one through three hundred and sixty."

"Done sir." one of the ensigns, a human female, replied calmly.

He then ordered, "Acquire targets and fire on my mark with MAC guns."

After several seconds of furious typing, another ensign, a Sangheili, said, "Targets acquired, Fleetmaster."

"Fire on three." Oku said, turning to look back at the holographic table behind him, showing the Separatists ships as they neared in perfect formation.

"Two!" he said in the next second, before he turned completely and began walking towards the table, placing his hands on the side of the holoprojector.

"One!" he continued, his gaze firmly on the lead Separatists vessel, the _Invisible Hand_, and noticing it lacked the red square around it, indicating it was targeted.

"Mark!" he finished, turning to face the forward windows as they polarized to allow the bright light from the launch of the MAC guns to not blind the personnel on board.

In the ensuing several seconds, the MAC rounds fired form the ships hit their targets with pinpoint accuracy, thanks mostly to the deadly accuracy of the AI accompanying each vessel, and the intricate command structure established for the AI, with Francis at the head. The smaller vessels grouped their shoots together, while the larger tonnage ships relied on only one shot to obliterate their targets. The MAC rounds, when they impacted with the hulls of their designated ships, caused utter devastation, sending shockwaves through the armor of the Separatist vessels rippling from there the rounds impacted. To the right of Grievous' ship, a _Bulwark-_class vessel had a MAC round impact at the forefront, the round going through the vessel from stem to stern with little, if any resistance, and exiting out the back at close to the same speed as when it entered. In its wake, the battle cruiser exploded outward, the gaping hole in its center spewing out a massive explosion, which soon engulfed all portions of the former proud vessel. Flames shot out of the hanger bay, ventilation shafts, bridge, and all other weak portions of the ship until, ultimately, a massive fireball shot our from the center of the remains of the ship, splitting the battlecruiser in three, all pieces being shot out at monumental speeds into the void of space.

Similar results came from the remainder of vessels hit, with massive fireballs and on going flames filling the viewports of the _Invisible Hand_ form nearby ships that met their demise. Of the three hundred and fifty ships previously under his command, Grievous now commanded but two hundred and eighty seven, and the mass drivers of the Coalition seemed to be recharging at an unheard of rate. Then, out of nowhere, The _Redemption_ and a group of thirty of the curvacious ships that had yet to fire created the massive black, broiling portals they used to enter the battle with, and disappeared seconds later when the portals were gone.

Grievous looked down upon his surprised droids and said, "Where did they go!"

Little did he know that an instant after they left, the same portals they left through were created behind his fleet, and out came the same vessels that left.

The sensors on the bridge of the _Invisible Hand_ were awash with alarms, and one droid said over the cacophony, "Sir, it seems that they jumped behind us. Our flank is exposed."

Aboard the bridge of the _Redemption_, Oku ordered while standing, his hands firmly clasped around the metal railing before him, "Open fire with everything we got! Permission to use all ordinances."

The message was quickly sent through the fleet, and each individual captain internally rejoiced in being able to use whatever necessary to defeat the enemy before them. An instant later, the blinding beams of light from the energy projectors came to life, impacting the hulls of dozens of droid vessels, as Longbow missiles were shot out of their pods, arching up and away from the ships they came from before turning around and towards their designated targets. Simultaneously, plasma turrets spewed forth torpedoes at phenomenal speeds, as pulse laser turrets let lose against nearby vessels. All over the Separatist fleet, vessels were impacted with ordinances, sending massive explosions out into the void of space form every vessel. Even the _Invisible Hand _shook violently when missiles penetrated their shields and pulse laser beams impacted with hat was left, cutting up small sections of the ship and creating small fireballs that engulfed many sections of the massive warship. Several hundred kilometers away, a _Lucrehulk_-class droid control ship was hit with three beams of energy from the Energy Projectors, as well as a plethora of missiles and plasma torpedoes. As the ship was vivisected, explosions shot through each deck, before the reactor overloaded, creating a massive fireball that obliterated the sphere at the center, and tore the surrounding ring asunder. The remaining chinks were sent into orbit of Boz Pity, or collided with other Separatists vessels, much like its other destroyed brethren.

"Fire at will and launch all fighters!" Grievous ordered, seeing no other option available to him as his fleet was being destroyed incrementally.

On cue, the hanger bays of the remaining ships opened to reveal hundreds of fighters and bombers leaving to engage then enemy. In response, the joint strike force did the same, releasing innumerable numbers of fighters and bombers to fight the Separatists. Within seconds, a massive mothball had formed around the Separatists and some of the Coalition vessels that had jumped behind them, with fighters and bombers swirling around each other in an attempt to gain the upper hand over their immediate adversaries. Point defense systems on both sides blew entire squadrons out of existence, and massive turbolasers came into play, as well as dual mass driver systems on the Coalition vessels, beginning a costly close quarters brawl between the two massive fleets.

XXX

CSS _Redemption_, Orbit of Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

Jake Barir placed the helmet with HUD attachment on his head gently while he was making his pre-flight checks. All systems seemed to check out, so he closed the cockpit and readied his engines.

"Remember Firefly, you're on escort duty with Red squadron until all dropships make it groundside. How copy, over." said Jake as the fighter lifted off the ground.

"Solid copy, Firefly Lead out." replied all of his squadron mates as they too lifted their fighters off the ground.

With that confirmation, Jake launched his fighter out of the hanger bay at speeds that pushed him against the seat by the g-forces alone. Once he exited the hanger bay of the supercarrier, he circled around it, waiting for any Separatists to attempt to engage. He was disappointed to find that the dogfight was developing further away from the supercarrier, but upon reflection, he reasoned that would make his escort duty much easier.

He was soon joined by the rest of his squadron, and they made way with the three Jedi Interceptors to join the drops ships on their descent to the planet below.

He looked on his sensors to see if any droids would dare oppose them, and found no one even came close. That was surprising, considering the dropships would seemingly make easy targets. Before he could be too disappointed, though, he noticed thirty fighters moving at astounding speeds to engage them from two hundred kilometers away to his eight o'clock.

"Red Leader, this is Firefly Lead, we got bogies on our eight. Moving to engage, over." said Jake as he turned his fighter around to engage them.

"Firefly Lead, you're not alone. Let's have a little fun, out." replies Red Leader, Skywalker, he believed his name was.

Without hesitation, Red lead made a spiral maneuver Jake would previously find impossible, and was at his side within seconds, soon followed by his squadron mates. Firefly was the first to fire, all of them opening up with their missiles upon the approaching enemies. The droids tried to maneuver out of the way, but only succeeded in either colliding with each other or making contact with the explosives. Before any plasma was even exchanged, eighteen of the droids were nothing more but burning wreckage in the cold, empty void.

Once within range, the two sides opened up on each other. The Jedi Interceptors pulled up or out of the way to flank the approaching droids as the Liberators acted as a distraction. The Jedi, as soon as they were out of a collision course with the droids, pulled back in, and fired on the sides of the unsuspecting hostiles. Some tried to move to engage the new threat, but the heavy fire from the Liberators stopped any attempt in its tracks.

With only eight fighters left, the two sides entered into a fierce dogfight, spiraling around each other trying to get a good shot off.

Jake noticed he was being trailed by a tri-fighter. In response, he moved erratically around, trying to shake him off, but only succeeding in gaining the attention of another tri-fighter.

Skywalker, seeing the predicament one of his comrades was in, moved to the six o'clock of the two enemies. Once the targets were lined up, he pushed down on the firing button, releasing green streaks of plasma upon the attackers. Within seconds, both of the fighters were burning corpses of their former glory.

Jake looked back to see the yellow fighter behind him, and said through the com link, "Red Leader, thanks for the assist, over."

"Anytime Firefly Lead." replied Skywalker as he joined his friends in returning to their escort duties.

Once the fighters were disposed of, the group returned to their previous duties. Unfortunately, they were spotted by an even larger group of hostiles, and the droids were approaching rapidly from their three o'clock at a distance of three hundred and fifty kilometers.

"Red squadron, take the dropships groundside and do what you guys need to do. We got these bogies. Over" said Jake as he pulled out from the formation and moved to attack the droids.

"You sure Firefly? That's a lot of droids." said Obi-Wan over the com link.

"Yeah Red-2. I'm sure. You guys have a job to do. Besides, these guys are push-overs." Jake said confidently as the rest of the squadron formed up on him and readied for the long dogfight ahead.

"May the Force be with you, Firefly." said Anakin as he sped up his fighter to assume his previous position beside the dropships.

Jake thought for a minute, and said in response, "And with you, Red squadron." before peeling off with Firefly-2 to attack the droids from above as Firefly's-3, 4, and 5 engaged from the front in another game of chicken. Before long, the plasma was being exchanged, and another mothball was formed.

XXX

CSS _Redemption_, Orbit of Boz Pity, Boz Pity system, Halla Sector

Deep in the bowls of the supercarrier _Redemption_, the ODST's prepared for their first drops in this war. Their goal was to drop in behind enemy lines, set up a landing zone safe for other troops to be dropped in on, and maintain the perimeter until more troops are acquired.

Now, most of the relatively green ODST's were either saying prayers or trying to enjoy the silence while they could. Richard found himself in the ladder category.

"Dropping in thirty seconds." announced the intercom to the awaiting ODST's now waiting in their HEV pods. Most of them had already made their pre-drop checks, and felt confident that this was going to be a smooth operation. Richard was simply staring forward, past the glass, memorizing every detail that he could. The shadows in the far corner of the gigantic room. The flickering light in the hallway that no one seemed to bother fixing. The intricate cracks and canyons in the wooden stool that was often used for ODST's to sit on and talk to their friends. Everything had now gained its own personality, and he felt it might be the last time he'll see any of it, so might as well take in everything.

"Dropping in ten seconds." said the intercom again.

Richard felt a ping of panic course through his body at the prospect of effectively going at a speed most people should survive in what is simply a metal coffin. The fact that it was built by the lowest bidder didn't exactly sooth his nerves either.

"Drop in three...two...one" said the intercom, counting down. With every number, his heart practically skipped a beat.

Finally, in sequential order in rows, the HEV pods dropped out of sight. Richard was in the first row, and he was caught completely off guard when his pod was moving as fast as it was. Within seconds, he was completely out of the supercarrier, and caught off guard by the sheer beauty of the sight before him. The pale blue-green dot of a planet was truly massive from his perspective, and he was descending rapidly. Nevertheless, he was going just slow enough to allow him to bask in this sight.

He then looked around through the glass to see the other pods drop, and the massive battle unfolding behind them. Though they were far away from the fighting, he could still make out the fighters and bombers dancing in the void of space. It looked all choreographed, from his perspective, and every explosion was just another set of fireworks going off to celebrate the end of that particular dance. The ships, some of them entire kilometers long, engaging in duels for their lives, trying to get an advantage over the enemy. Seeing this battle unfold in space, he couldn't help but gain a newfound respect for the "swabbies" and their field of expertise.

But, this was short-lived, as his HEV pod soon entered the atmosphere, and his glass was completely covered by the flames caused by the sheer friction of his "metal coffin's" entry into the atmosphere.

Then, an alarm blared in his ear, and he instinctively pulled the lever to release the flaps meant to slow down the HEV pod enough to make a relatively safe descent. Once the lever was pulled all the way back, he felt the pod slow down by just a little bit. He feared there was a malfunction, but soon allowed his mind to reassure him that it was a small piece of fabric that only mean to make a relatively small crater upon impact.

Richard waited, and waited, and waited. He thought he was supposed to land by now. He looked at the altimeter in the HEV pod, and noticed he was still 10,000 meters in the air. His near panic made time seem to go by slower, he assumed.

At 8,000 meters, the flames cleared up, and he got a quick glimpse of the surrounding terrain. He would be landing in a valley lacking any trees or large stones for cover, but there is a small patch of trees to his immediate north. About half a click east, the Confederate defenses he was to be flanking resided, and they were close to a ridge with woods on top. That would make excellent cover.

Then, while all these thoughts of proper tactics to finish his objective was going through his head, his pod made contact with the ground. Surprisingly enough, it was much softer than he expected, shaking him around in the pod and nothing more.

The door blasted off, his helmet automatically polarized into a silver mask, and he immediately ran for the nearest cover, the patch of trees to his north. Looking around as he sprinted, he noticed a patrol of droids one hundred meters west of his position. The patrol, consisting of eight of the regular Battledroids and two of the Superbattle droids, noticed his movements and began firing on him. Red bolts of plasma, most of them nothing more but pot shots, landed all around Richard as he dove into cover behind a thick tree.

With the tree guarding him from the merciless onslaught, he readied his BR and popped his head out of cover to see how close the patrol was. The ten droids were only seventy-five meters away now, well within range.

He poked his gun out of cover, leveled the shot, and began firing his three-round bursts upon the Superbattle droid to the left. Thanks to the incredible accuracy of the BR, he was able to land almost all of his shots on to the "head" of the droid, and stopped it in its tracks with twenty-four rounds to spare. He moved the crosshair over to rest on top of the other Superbattle droid, ceased his breathing, and began firing at the newest threat. Unfortunately, he was hit with several bolts of red plasma half way through his firing, and was forced to duck behind cover with 40% shields remaining.

Richard reloaded his weapon, took a deep breath, and poked himself out again to fire at the Superbattle droid. Each round was true, and impacted with the red circle of an eye beneath he exposed armor, sending shrapnel and small amounts of smoke and debris out of the wound and onto the ground nearby. With only nine shots, the gigantic droid was down.

Now feeling more confident of success, he leaned out of cover further and fired one burst at each of the remaining droids, still allowing the plasma to whiz past him without paying it the least amount of attention.

It was as if time was slowing down, allowing him ample opportunity to aim and fire on each individual threat. He certainly heard the plasma bolts hit the tree and tear bark off from the lower layers, or hit the ground around him and create a small crater, sending dirt flying in all directions, but he was completely focused on the task at hand. By the time his magazine was spent, all the remaining droids in the patrol were nothing more but scrap metal, laying slumped on the ground, mechanical fluid oozing out and webs of electricity out of their wounds.

Being the cautious man that he was, Richard slowly walked out of cover, looking in all directions to make sure there weren't any other threats in the area. Once he was certain he was alone, he began making a light jog to the ridge he saw half a click to his west.

XXX

GNR _Resolute_, Orbit of Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

"Sir, we have three _Recusant_-class cruisers, Bandits one-oh-three, one-oh-five, and one-oh-seven moving in to engage." reported one of the clones dutifully as he turned to look at Yularen.

"Fire proton torpedoes at Bandits one-oh-five and seven, then finish off the one-oh-three with our turbolasers." he ordered in a commanding tone, trying to convey confidence to his men.

In all honesty, he was just as scared as any other man would be. He was well aware of the danger he and his fleet were in by engaging the enemy in such close quarters, but the thought of the Coalition ships joining them in the charge brought about a little reprieve from the dismal onslaught that his rational mind provided for him.

Ever since the first shots of the battle were fired, he was completely engrossed with the holographic tactical display on his bridge, trying to command from it rather than take in the gruesome sight outside of the window. Seeing a ship bisected or blown away was easier to see when it simply faded out of existence on a tac. map rather than seeing the actual event play out in real time.

Regardless, once the battle turned from ranged attacks from the Coalition ships upon the Confederate defenders into close quarter duels, both sides seemed to be on equal footing. Even though the shielding of the Coalition ships was superior to the Republic or Separatist ships, they still did not possess the rapid fire capabilities of the turbolasers.

This did not mean that the Coalition ships did not have a poor ratio of kills. Far from it. For every ship lost on the Coalition side, the Confederates lost two or three in return. The only reason the Separatist fleet wasn't completely destroyed at the moment was because the Republic and Coalition did not expect the ion cannons the Confederates now possessed to be as powerful as they were. Just eight to twelve shots and a Coalition ship would be without adequate shields. The Republic vessels didn't fare much better.

But, even with the growing losses, the joint strike force was winning the battle. While the Separatists were putting up a good fight, they wouldn't last any more than ten minutes without reinforcements.

"Sir, it appears we have addition ships jumping into the system They're of Separatist design." reported one of the clones, his voice remaining steady and unwavering to mask the fear he must feel.

"How many?" asked Yularen, trying to mask the fear as well as the clones, and failing miserably.

"Thirty at the moment, sir." responded the same clone, his voice calm and collected, even under intense fire.

Yularen thought for a moment, trying to think of the best strategy to employ in this predicament. While the various moves were going through his head, the Separatist task force entered the system some 300,000 kilometers away from the battle, and were closing in rapidly.

Finally, Yularen ordered with a satisfied grin on his face, "Patch me through to Admiral Oku."

Once the connection was made, the blue hologram of Oku was before Yularen. He was just as calm and ready as Yularen, and seemed ready for whatever they had to face.

The Coalition admiral began, "Yes Admiral, I know of the Separatists that just arrived to the party. Got a plan?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do." Yularen began, satisfied with what he devised, "I want your supercarrier and several of your remaining battleships or carriers to engage the hostiles at range. My ships can cover for you until the flanking force is dealt with."

Oku thought this over, thinking the strategy so simple and logical it had a decent chance of success.

"Alright Admiral. I'll take care of it." Oku said before severing the connection.

Yularen turned back to the tactical display to see several of Oku's largest ships were indeed moving to attack the task force. Before the Separatists got close enough to even have a chance of hitting anything with their turbolasers, the MAC guns form the eight carriers and two supercarriers opened up on them. An instant later, the ships were hit with projectiles moving so fast, their shields simply could not react to their impact, their hulls forced to deal with the projectiles. They didn't stand a chance, as the hulls were simply torn asunder, entire ships bisected from the massive rounds impacting them. Great fireballs erupted form any structural weak points in the vessels, and more than a few were simply vaporized from a reactor overload.

Of the thirty original, only twelve remained, but those twelve began firing on the Coalition forces with their turbolaser batteries. The Coalition vessels,, in turn, let loose with their plasma turrets and mass drivers, tearing apart the Separatists shields and allowing a barrage of missiles to easily penetrate deeply into their hulls, exploding violently from the inside and ripping all the remaining ships apart from the internal stress put on them.

With the threat dealt with, Oku turned his task force around, and began firing on a group of four _Providence_-class carrier/destroyers nearby, continuing the deadly duel their fleets were stuck in.

The carriers turned on their pot sides as a group, and began raining quick bursts of turbolasers down upon the weakened attackers. Even with the pulse laser system, Longbow Missiles, and mass drivers, two carriers were lost before the threat was dealt with. From there, Oku found himself in the middle of the battle, with no vessels engaging him. He took this moment, seemingly, to recuperate. A minute and a half later, the shields recharged completely, and Oku lead them from his position in the _Redemption_ into the fray.

While Oku was engaging new hostiles, Yularen was overseeing the complete destruction of the Separatists defenders. What he didn't notice was the _Invisible Hand_ slipping away.

Then, just as Yularen noticed the capital ship housing Grievous, it jumped into hyperspace, saving itself from a burning annihilation at the hands of the joint strike force.

XXX

Orbit of Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

"Firefly Lead, this is Victor Lead, requesting assistance. We got bogies hitting us hard and can't help escort the bombers. Over."

"Victor Lead, you got our help, out."

Once Jake was done saying that, his HUD came to life showing him where Victor was, as well as the location of all the hostile ships attacking them. There were at least thirty fighters engaging the group of Liberators, and the Liberators were having trouble keeping them off of the GA-TL4 Phoenix Bomber's.

"Firefly, new objective. Engage the bogies bothering our Phoenix's. Let's show these buckets of bolts who the bosses are. Over." said Jake over the com unit as he pulled up and around to head towards the dogfight.

"Yes sir." responded the rest of the squadron as they fell in beside their officer and headed towards the dogfight as fast as the Liberator could take them.

As they approached the dogfight, they all broke off to engage their own group of droid fighters. Because none of them had any missiles any more, they all had to rely on their rotary plasma cannon and their individual skill. Neither disappointed.

Two Vulture droids approach a Phoenix that was separated from the group, and prepared to open up on it with the laser turrets available. But, both the droids were unexpectedly caught in Jake's crosshairs. He locked on to the closest one, and fired his cannon at it. The dark purple plasma bolts dour times the size fired from a plasma rifle left the canon at a rapid rate, and soon made contact with the unshielded droid. It didn't stand a chance, and was completely engulfed in flames after only a three shots. The other droid, noticing the downfall of its comrade, peeled off to destroy this new threat. As it pulled up, though, it neared entering the crosshairs of Jake's Liberator. Before it was between the two white lines that were the crosshairs, Jake opened fire, allowing the plasma bolts enough time to hit the target. Their path was true, and the other Vulture droid was nothing more but fiery wreckage.

Jake soon located five new targets that were trailing behind one of his pilots, who themselves were trailing two Vultures. Jake immediately dove into the confusion, and opened up on the closest two Vultures with his plasma cannon. Neither survived more than five seconds under the barrage, but the other three noticed the threat. Two pulled to the left to engage Jake while the remaining one stayed on target. Jake felt he didn't have a choice in the matter, and pulled his craft to the left to hit the Vultures while they're still vulnerable. He estimated where the opposing fighter would be, and opened up. A little too early. The shots just missed off the nose of the Vulture.

He stopped firing, waited a mere second while slowing down his fighter, and fired again. This time, it was just right. The Vulture collided with the purple plasma bolts. He kept firing, and the other Vulture droid, unwilling to move from its course, collided with the plasma bolts like its brother, and was similarly obliterated from the burning how plasma.

With both his opponents dealt with, Jake turned right and tried to locate the other Vulture droid trailing his comrade. Before he could engage the remaining Vulture, an explosion caught his gaze. He looked around it to see the Vulture droid still remaining, but the other Liberator gone. With anger rising in the pit of his stomach, he sped up to engage the Vulture before it could locate him.

He sped up the Liberator as fast as it could go, and soon found himself only a couple hundred meters from the Vulture. now that he was well within range, and he was safe from any hostile action, he fired his plasma cannon. The droid wasn't even aware that there was a threat when it was engulfed in flames and utterly destroyed.

The other pilots of Firefly and Victor squadrons had similar success. From a distance, it appeared like a choreographed dance in the void of space, where each fighter spiraled around to try to get an edge on the enemy. The Coalition had a natural advantage, but that didn't stop the Separatist fighters from bunching up on a single target and trying to overwhelm it. This tactic was far more successful than either Victor or Firefly would like to admit. Altogether, the Coalition lost three fighters out of ten trying to defeat the attacking Vulture droids, who themselves successfully destroyed two of the Phoenix bombers.

Once the fighter threat was dealt with, though, the bombers moved on, uninhibited, to their target, a Separatists Dreadnaught. The point defense systems of the hostile carrier/destroyer attempted to fend off the assault, but the shields and maneuverability of the Phoenix's enabled them to avoid or withstand any attack the point-defense system could throw at them. Once the targeting computers fixed onto their targets, the eight bombers let their payloads go, and the eight pairs of plasma torpedoes penetrated the shields to inflict absolute damage upon the Separatist vessel. Once their strike was done, all the bombers peeled off to return to their carrier to reload and engage any other targets. As for the Separatist Dreadnaught, the explosions caused by the heavy payload bisected the ship down the middle, and the two halves, explosions and fires spewing out of both newly created entrances, became two new artificial satellites for Boz Pity.

XXX

Separatist Outer Defense Grid, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

Silence was golden. This was the philosophy Richard always tried to follow, at least when he was trying to keep the car quiet whenever he was driving back home. Now, that mantra seemed more true than ever before. He moved around the small patches of woods and grasslands trying to avoid making any sound while moving to his objective and not arouse too much attention from Confederate patrols.

At the moment, he was in a small hilltop, and he could see the ridge no more than 200 meters away. To his right, though, he noticed some movement in the shrubbery. He instinctively went into a prone position and aimed his BR at whoever would be causing such a ruckus. What emerged from the brush surprised him like nothing else. It was the members of his squad. Once they were completely out of the woods, he exposed himself, placed his hand to his ear, and spoke to them.

He said, "Misfit one-three, you're missing a guy. I'm about fifty meters from your current position. Hold there till I arrive." before sprinting to their position.

He noticed they took a crouching position and formed a circle to overlook every angle in case a patrol stumbled across them.

Once Richard arrived, he was greeted with a pat on the back from Fred and some encouraging words from the rest of his squad mates. He couldn't help but berate himself for not spending much time with the rest of his squad since they were assigned together.

Corporal William "Bill" Ocht, a tall, muscular, and kind man, with a head of nearly shaven blond hair and eyes as green as the valley they were in, said, "Alright. Now that we're all together, let's move out to that position. Rick, how far is it?"

"One hundred and fifty meters that way, sir." responded Richard while pointing to the position he noticed earlier.

Together, the squad of ODST's moved quickly and quietly through the patches of woods and grasslands to the ridge overlooking the Separatist position. Just as they were about to ascend the ridge, Private Zachary "Zach" Robinson, an average height and built African descendant who used to have short, black curly hair and brown eyes, noticed movement to their right.

"We got movement to our right." he said while aiming his gun at the moving bushed and crouching to better his aim.

The rest of the squad followed suit, and they waited patiently for the order to fire. Then, from the bushes to their right came a droideka. Knowing the threat if posed, the group immediately fired upon the droid before it could deploy, and within seconds, it was nothing more but a bisected droid with sparks flying in all directions. They all waited for a little longer, waiting to see if any other droids were going to be in this patrol. Strangely enough, no more movement suggested there was anything else.

"Alright. Move out." ordered Bill as he stood up and began moving back up the hill.

Richard couldn't help but felt something was off. He knew all too well if there was a patrol, even these droids wouldn't be stupid enough to send only one droid to do so.

"Sir, it could be a trap." said Richard after waiting a moment longer than the rest to begin moving up the ridge.

Bill stopped in his tracks, turned around, and asked, "And what makes you come to that conclusion, Rick?"

"It just seems off that the Confederates would only have one droid patrolling at any given time. It says in our reports that droidekas move in pairs at least." was his response.

Bill thought this over, and said, "Alright then. Zach, Don," pointing to the two soldiers, (Private Donnally "Don" Verchiksky being another taller than average brown haired, blue-eyed male) keep going up the ridge. Fred, Rick, fan out with me and search the nearby area."

With that, the squad split up. Once Zach and Don were out of sight, the three spread out and moved in opposite directions. Richard moved carefully around anything that could cause a loud sound, like twigs, branches, or leaves. as he traversed the area, looking for any other droidekas. After moving around for five minutes, he found absolutely nothing.

Then, behind him, he heard gunshots and plasma being fired. Without hesitation, he turned and ran in the direction of the action. He no longer had any regard to the sound he was making, simply hoping to arrive in time to help whoever was in danger. Once he was in a small clearing, he noticed Fred was taking cover behind a tree, and a deployed droideka ten meters away and in the middle of the clearing had him pinned.

Richard took cover behind another tree as the droid noticed him and averted its fire on him. He did not move fast enough, though, as some of the shots hit his shields. By the time he was safely behind the tree, his shields were down to 60%.

"Throw your EMP grenade!" yelled Richard to Fred through the SQUAD-COM while taking the opportunity to fire on the droid while it was attempting to destroy the tree between it and its target.

Before the droideka could again avert its fire back to Fred, he threw the grenade as told and went back behind the tree. Then, the shots stopped firing inexplicably. Fred and Richard both, cautiously, looked out of cover to see the droid was deactivated and laying, slumped, on the ground. Just to be safe, Fred fired several of his shots at the droid while it was down, obliterating its unprotected body and making it nothing more but exposed circuitry and broken armor.

While Fred and Richard were both staring at the heap of metal, Bill came running out of the bush, let out a sigh, and said, "Damnit! I always miss the good stuff."

After he finished catching his breath, he continued, "Alright. Let's regroup with the other two. I'm sure they miss us." before moving up the ridge.

Richard and Fred followed their commanding officer all the way up the ridge, and found Zach and Don in a prone position while looking through their sights at the outpost below. The other three joined their squad mates on the ground, and began observing the Confederates below.

From their position, they could see the entire base, teeming with battledroids either in position, ready to defend the outpost, or moving about fulfilling supporting roles. The outpost was divided into two sections. The outer trench system, which was nothing more but a circle dug in more than two meters into the ground, had a roughly 60 meter diameter, twelve machine gun nests with overlapping fields of fire, and barbed wire in front to slow down any advance. Behind them, at the center of the outpost, was a pair of anti aircraft guns.

While observing the outpost, the all too familiar sound of a Pelican approaching was heard overhead. As the dropship neared the outpost, it realized the threat it posed and turned around in an attempt to retreat to a safe distance. Unfortunately, one of the AA guns was faster, and unloaded rounds at phenomenal speeds at the dropship nearby. The shields meant to protect the Pelican failed to defend it for long, and soon enough, one of the explosive rounds penetrated the armor and exploded inside, engulfing the dropship in fire and sending the wreckage spiraling to the ground.

"Sir, I think that was supposed to be our support." said Fred while looking over his shoulder at the plume of smoke billowing up into the atmosphere from the crash site.

"Should we check for survivors sir?" asked Zach, looking at the same sight as Fred.

"You know as well as I do that whoever was on that ship is nothing more but ash now. As for the support, we're ODST's. We don't need support." said Bill, trying to downplay the sorrowful mood by throwing in his own cocky humor.

"Alright then, sir. What's the gameplan?" asked Richard, turning his head to look back at the base in front of them.

Bill turned around, picked himself up off the ground, and picked up a nearby stick. He motioned for all the other men in Misfit 1-3 to join him, and began drawing a map of the outpost.

"Richard, Fred," he said while drawing two circles, "I need you to launch a diversionary attack. Use whatever you need to accomplish this." he continued, drawing two parallel lines moving back and forth beyond the perimeter of his representation of the outpost.

"Zach, Don, and I," he said, drawing another three circles on the other side of the map, "will slip in from the back while they are going for you two are getting their attention. We'll lay come charges down on the AA guns, and blow them sky high," he continued, drawing X's above the representation of the AA guns, "Then, we'll help you clear the outpost of any survivors."

"After ten minutes, you guys launch the diversion. Got it?" he asked, looking up at his men. They all nodded in agreement, and began moving out to their designated positions.

Just as Bill and Richard were about to be out of sight from each other, Bill turned around and said, "Remember, you just need to keep their attention. Once you hear the explosion, then give them all you got."

"Will do sir." replied Richard as he turned and caught up with Fred, who was a few steps ahead, and readied himself for the diversion.

For the next nine minutes, both Fred and Richard crouched, waiting for the signal for the attack. Richard looked down at the watch installed in his HUD, anticipating the end of the final minute. His heart rate accelerated, breathing slowed, and the seconds ticked by at an excruciatingly slow rate. Every second felt like an hour as they went by.

58...59...00

Richard leveled out his gun, aimed for the nearest droid manning the machine gun, and opened up with pinpoint accuracy on the unsuspecting enemy. Fred did the same on the nearby MG nest, and soon, both were depopulated of gunners.

The other droids, noticing their machine guns were no longer active, their gunners laying on the floor in a pool of their own oil and circuitry, and shots still being fired from in front of them, opened up in the general area of the assault. While their individual accuracy was poor, they had enough of them to hit just about anything with their combined firepower. Richard and Fred were forced to return to cover as the red plasma bombarded their position. Richard looked around to see bolts streaking past the tree between him and the hellfire, and collide with objects around him, causing utter devastation to the surrounding area. The ground had little craters mere centimeters apart in some places. Some trees were entirely cut down because of the damage to their trunks by the bolts of energized matter. Even boulders and rocks laying on the dirt were chipped apart and crumbled under the strain of the assault.

Richard, feeling time itself slowing down further for him, popped his head out of cover briefly to assess the situation. He looked around quickly to see that many of the droids from the outpost were now converging in the trenches and walls nearest them to help their fellow defenders stave off the attack.

Using the opportunity while it was still there, he aimed for a group of droids with his BR, and opened up on the one furthest to the right. Milliseconds later, the rounds impacted the droids center of mass, sending the tan painted body of a B1 down into the ground, dust rising in to the air from contact. Richard quickly moved his crosshair over the next droid in line, and pulled the trigger. Before the three round burst was even over, he moved the gun to hit the droid next to his previous target, sending both droids down for the count. Without even a conscious though, he moved the gun to point at the last two, one lined up perfectly behind the other, and held down the trigger for two three round bursts. Gaping wounds where the bullets impacted and kept on going perforated the bodies, and both slumped to the ground.

He looked around through the sight of his gun, looking for more targets, and found what appeared to be a commander of sorts issuing orders in the back of the outpost, but still well within range. He aimed for the center of the boney body, and pulled the trigger. Three shots left the barrel moving at almost supersonic speeds, and collided with the weak armor of the droid commander. It slumped to the ground on its knees before face planting to the cold earth beneath, deactivated and lifeless.

By now, though, the other defenders noticed where the attack was coming from, and concentrated their shots in the area Richard was occupying. He retreated back into cover behind the tree as red bolts of plasma contacted with his shields, sending them down to 40% before he was safe from the attack.

Richard looked over to Fred, who was still in cover. He noticed his friend breathing slowly, his chest going up and down sluggishly compared to usual. He knew exactly what Fred was going to do, and was determined to help his friend.

Just as Fred was about to lean out of cover to destroy something, Richard popped out of cover as well, on the other side of the tree than before, and they both opened up on any droid that was exposed.

By the time they both were forced to return behind the trees, they heard a massive explosion in the direction of the outpost. The firing from the defenders suddenly stopped, and both of them took the opportunity to lean out of cover to see what happened. They saw two towers of black smoke rising from the location of the AA guns.

Then, while they were still looking at the towers of smoke, shots were heard from its direction, and muzzle flashes could be seen piercing the black clouds. Droids that were still nearby fell back, their bodies perforated with bullet holes. Then, the droids seeing their rear compromised, opened up on the new attackers. A practical sea of red plasma bolts were headed straight for the black clouds of smoke.

Richard and Fred, seeing the opportunity before them, began firing on the droids again. Several fell under the strain of the assault, but the rest turned to attack the original threats. In doing so, though, they exposed their backs to the three new attackers. Yet again, the newer threats fired on them, sending more than a few down before any retaliation could be mustered.

The droids divided their firepower to deal with the threats, but each one was simply too little to fend off the attack, and soon enough, the entire garrison was nothing more but scrap metal.

As the three figures walked through the black smoke still lingering above the ground Richard and Fred noticed similar plumes of smoke off in the horizon in almost all directions.

"I just contacted command," said Bill as they neared and de-polarized their helmets, "Looks like this is gonna to be our last chance of relaxing, so savor it while you can. Dropships will be in the area to set up a F.O.B. within the hour."

* * *

><p>6 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 19:34:3119:4 BBY

Archer Forward Operating Base, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

"General Skywalker. The F.O.B. is up and operational. Any further orders?" asked the clone commander to Anakin, who was currently resting on a metal crate on the ground.

Anakin let out a short sigh, then said, "How are the defenses looking commander?"

"With the Coalition's assistance, our defenses could repel any attack the Separatists throw at us." replied the clone confidently.

"Excellent Commander. Do you know where General Kenobi is at the moment?"

"I believe he is in his personal quarters sir."

"Thank you commander. If you'll excuse me, I must consult with General Kenobi."

"Of course sir."

Anakin then stood up and began making his way through the hastily prepared F.O.B., trying to remember where he and Kenobi agreed to build the personnel quarters. As he looked around, he saw the tents in the distance, and he began jogging towards them, knowing exactly where the general's quarters would be.

During his short journey, he couldn't help but notice the Coalition troops helping his clones unload important materiel or set up the defenses. Skywalker even let out a little laugh when he saw a small, toad-like being carrying a metal crate twice his size with the help of a giant humanoid with four mandibles for a mouth and two of the clones. It only got worse when he heard the small one's squeaky voice, trying to command respect and failing miserably.

Once he was in the "tent-city", he looked round for the larger one, and in doing so caught some more unexpected sights. Some Coalition personnel were teaching his men the finer points of "Texas Hold Em'", or whatever they called that gambling game of theirs. In another tent, some of his clones were teaching a variety of Coalition soldiers how to play Sabacc. In other tents, the soldiers from each faction were exchanging stories of either home or the war.

All of these sights made his almost lost in the sprawling sea of tents, but he was still able to locate Kenobi's personal one with ease, and was inside within a matter of minutes.

Kenobi looked up from the datapad he was reading, probably about the state of affairs in regards to recent events, and said, "Hello Anakin. What do you need?"

"What are you reading Master?" he asked, trying to beat around the bush.

Kenobi raised an eyebrow, looked down at the datapad, then looked up and said, "Something from Admiral Oku. It's the names of various Coalition commanders and different nicknames for their platoons, brigades, companies, etcetera."

"Ah."

"Why are you here Anakin?" Kenobi asked, now averting his attention back to the datapad still in his hands.

"I sensed a presence." he said simply, yet cryptically, like he had more to say, but didn't know how to say it.

"Yes Anakin. I know. Dooku is most certainly here, as is Ventress. They will be taken care of this time, if that's what you're worried about..." he said in his usual monotone voice.

"Not just them Master. Someone else. Someone far more powerful than either of them." Anakin said, tying to stress the last sentence.

Kenobi looked up, a stoic expression on his face, and his eyes told that he was deep in thought. He was searching the Force for a presence he did not immediately detect.

After searching in his mind, he looked back at the datapad and said, "I sense no one else Anakin. Either they hide well or you're paranoid."

"Then it must be the first Master. I don't feel it now either, but when we first landed, it practically overwhelmed me. You were still well behind me in escorting the dropships, so there's the chance that by the time you arrived, they expertly hid themselves in the Force."

Kenobi thought this possibility over. He didn't want to think of any more Sith to deal with on this mission, and if they can hide their presence from both he and Anakin, they must be skilled in the Force. He looked up to Anakin's face to see an expression of worry outlining his features. Even his usually brilliant blue eyes looked seemed to have paled.

He was afraid. He would never admit it, and the look in his eyes would disappear as soon as Kenobi even hinted at the prospect of it. But, that didn't change the fact that fear gripped his former padawan, and that thought was unsettling in and of itself.

"Anakin, what could you possibly be afraid of?" he asked, trying to sound as comforting as possible.

Anakin's eyes returned to their brilliant blue, and he said, "Nothing Master. What could have to fear?"

"Anakin. You may be good at hiding your emotions, but your eyes will always betray you. Now, what ails you?" Kenobi said while putting the datapad down and standing to be at eye level with Anakin.

Anakin made a small grin, trying to feign entertainment, and said, "I assure you Master. It is nothing. You're probably right. I'm sure I'm just paranoid."

"You can't lie to me Anakin." Obi-Wan said, now sounding more like a father than a friend.

Obi-Wan felt a ping of rage surface in the Force from Anakin, before being silenced. Anakin followed this up by saying, "Fine. You win Master. If there is someone as powerful as I have felt here, then there's the very real chance it's the Sith lord we have been looking for."

Obi-Wan allowed a smile and small laugh escape him, and he asked, "And what could you, the 'Hero With No Fear', possibly have to fear from the Sith?"

"It's not the Sith I fear. They are, as you put it, 'my specialty'. It's what happens after the Sith."

"What happens after the Sith, Anakin?"

"That's it, Master. For the first time in my life, I don't quite know what will happen. I hope it's something good, a galaxy with unprecedented peace and prosperity. But what if I'm wrong?"

"Anakin," Obi-Wan began sincerely, "Once this war is over, the dark shroud clouding our vision will be lifted and we _will_ see unprecedented peace and prosperity, I assure you."

"I just don't know Master. Maybe you're right." Anakin conceded, now trying to think of something more soothing than these thoughts. As usual, Padmé was the first thing to come up.

Obi-Wan noticed his friend allowing the stress that had built up thus far slowly dissipate into the Force, and felt relieved that his brother in arms was feeling better, even if it's slightly.

"There, you feel better Anakin?"

Anakin sighed, let out a sincere smile, and said,"Yes. Thank you Master. You are wiser than your years would let on."

"And the same goes to you, my _former_ padawan. Don't call me 'Master' anymore. That's a dangerous stage of my life I'd rather forget."

"But Master, those years were the most entertaining in your life." Anakin said with an almost devilish smile.

"Really? My gray hairs beg to differ my friend." Obi-Wan said while pointing to one of the many gray hairs that had developed early.

"Well that's up for debate Master. Not to shy away from this wonderful subject, but what's the strategy?"

"Well, since you ask, I was hoping you had a better idea than just run-and-gun." responded Kenobi, now taking a step to the side, averting his gaze from Anakin to press a select few buttons on the holographic display in front of him.

"I don't want this to turn into a siege." began Anakin, taking a handful of steps towards the same holographic display, "A quick attack with the heavy weapons the Coalition has at their disposal would be the best course of action in my opinion. The less time the Separatists have to dig in and prepare, the better."

"So distraction, infiltration, division, and destruction." Kenobi said with the ghost of a smile appearing, "Easy enough."

From there, they both went out the intricacies of their plan to bring about a quick victory.

* * *

><p>6 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 22:47:3419:4 BBY

CSS _Redemption_, Orbit of Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

High above Boz Pity, an unusual peace had settled in the void of space. Where mere hours ago, a massive battle was waged for this Mid-Rim planet, the massive vessels of the joint strike force were setting up in a defensive perimeter above the general area of the Separatist base and the joint strike force forward operating bases.

On the bridge of one of the Coalition supercarriers, peace outside the viewports was replicated inside. Everything was silent, save for the occasional confirmation of functioning terminals. Then walked in Omega team, and the serene silence that had befallen the bridge was disrupted by the loud _thuds_ of their boots on the floor. All eyes were on them as they neared the admiral and saluted their ranking office, who quickly repeated the motion.

"Sir, you requested our presence?" asked Ben as he placed his hands behind his back and allowed his feet to return to a comfortable position.

"Yes, I need Omega team to infiltrate the Separatist base with Generals Skywalker and Kenobi while our forces distract their defenses."

"Sir, permission to speak freely?"

"Permission granted." Oku said with a small wave of the hand.

"You want us to escort a bunch of generals into a dangerous hostile base?" Ben asked incredulously

"No, I want you to tag along with two of the most proficient Jedi this galaxy has available in a simple mission of destroying the command structure of the Separatists here while gathering any useful information you can." Oku replied, his tone defensive.

"Yes sir." Ben replied automatically and evenly.

"Any other questions?" asked Oku as he looked away to the void of space. He was positively captivated by the artificial asteroid belt created by the battle. The thought that each piece of wreckage, though, was the remnants of ships that used to house thousands now dead was not as pleasant.

"Yes sir. Who is going to be the ranking officer in this operation?"

"That's a good question, Ben. I advise you ask them yourself when you go groundside in six hours."

"Yes sir." replied Ben as all the Spartans saluted and left through the main entrance to the bridge and back to their quarters to enjoy what little sleep they could get.

XXX

CSS _Redemption_, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

In one of the hanger bays of the Coalition supercarrier, a hovering Liberator was trying to vertically land in just the right place so as to not set off the ill-placed explosives in the hanger bay.

"Just a little to the left." said one of the sailors on the floor to the pilot, who had the cockpit window open to hear whatever anyone was advising him to do.

The pilot moved the stick to the left slightly, so as to maneuver the craft over no more than three meters in that direction.

"Whoever put these fusion coils there, I'm gonna kick your ass up and down the hallways of this supercarrier, I swear to God!" Jake, the pilot, said out of the cockpit as the Liberator steadied over the intended spot.

"Alright. You should be goo there." said the sailor as he backed up quickly, hoping a little more distance between him and the fusion coil couldn't hurt.

Ever so gently, Jake eased down on the lever, slowly allowing the plane to descend. He knew by the time he knew if the fusion coil was hit, it would be too late, but that didn't convince him enough to not be slow and steady.

Finally, the familiar sound of landing gears meeting metal floor was heard in the area, and Jake had to hold back his jubilation over not being nothing more but ashes because of some dumbass sailor. He practically jumped out of the cockpit and fell, albeit gracefully, three meters, landing with a roll. When firmly on the ground, he looked around for the sailor that provided him with assistance.

He found his man peeking out from behind come heavy crates. He had obviously taken cover behind them, in hopes that any blast would be stopped by the heavy metal boxes. Jake walked over, casually, and reached his hand out to shake his hand. The sailor returned the favor, and the two began walking to the mess hall.

"Thanks for the help swabbie. I got a case of the finest bourbon a pilot can buy, and I would hate it if I couldn't share it with the man who kept my ass in one piece." Jake said, putting his hand on the sailor's shoulder.

"Please, call me Greg, and I'd be honored to accept this libation of yours." Greg said in return.

They both made their way down the long corridors of the supercarrier towards Jake's shared quarters to get the desired bourbon.

"I know the best place to drink, and not even the Master-at-Arms knows about it." Greg said confidently.

"Well let's get the alcohol first." Jake said as they rounded a corner and neared the pilot's quarters.

Once the two were in front of Jake's quarters, Jake worked on the locking mechanism standard on all doors for Coalition naval personnel. Jake, once finished, walked in casually while Greg waited outside on lookout duty. Jake riffled through the suit case he was allotted, and sifted through its contents to find the hidden bottle of alcohol. He was saving it for a special occasion, but this is good enough.

Once the pilot walked out of the door and into the hallway, bottle tucked away in the most well hidden pocket on his clothing, Greg motioned for him to follow. He took Jake along a myriad of turns and hallways, most of which Jake had never walked through, or at least remembered walking through.

After several minutes of relatively quick travel, Greg knelt down near a locking mechanism guarding the door in front of them. He fingered at the keys skillfully, and the familiar _ping_, indicating the lock was unlocked, was heard. Greg gently pushed the door open, Jake hot on his heels, and flicked the lights on with the switch nearby.

Once the room was bathed in light, it was evident it was a storeroom with a view. There was a window about half a meter in diameter on the far wall, and boxes were scattered throughout the room, either on the ground, or on racks that made small hallways themselves. The room wasn't anything massive, but it wasn't small either. Two people could easily hide in there, and the view they were given would keep them occupied no matter their state of mind.

Greg turned around to close and lock the door, then walked to the center of the room where a box seemed slightly out of place. It was away from any other box, and seemed slightly ajar, and facing a different direction than the other boxes in the nearby area.

Greg lifted the box up from the sides to reveal the bottom was cut out, and it was hiding a small set of chairs. Obviously, Greg seldom came here alone, as many of the other chairs had little, if any, dust or cobwebs on them.

Greg motioned for Jake to come over, sat on a chair, and looked out of the window into the vast expanse beyond. As Jake sat down next to his newfound friend, he, to, looked out of the window and at the sight beyond. It was of the planet being contested over, just as the local star, Cama Coll, set on the horizon. It was a truly breath-taking sight, if there ever was one. Jake couldn't help but think that he hardly enjoyed sights like these. He usually was either in his fighter or his bunks reading or watching something. He never really appreciated the beauty there was in the space just beyond the view ports of the supercarrier.

While Jake was deep in these thoughts, Greg tapped him on the arm, getting Jake's attention. Greg motioned to the bottle poking out of the pocket Jake had hidden it in. Jake pulled it out, and took a quick swig of it before handing it to Greg, who did the same. They both wiped their mouths, and looked back at the setting sun.

XXX

Chancellor's Suite, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

While the fighting was lulling on the Boz Pity front, the Chancellor was deep in thought. He was running through every scenario in which his plan might have the slightest chance of failure. It required meticulous planning, but he was certain it would succeed. All he needed was Starkiller's loyalty.

How Palpatine was going to go about garnering his loyalty, though, was going to be difficult. He was raised by Dooku for as long as he could remember, and a change in masters would be troubling to the young man.

The best option was for Lord Tyranus to betray Starkiller, then take him in under the promise that revenge would be his. The ways Sidious would go about doing this flashed through his mind, each more likely than the last, but none guaranteeing success.

Finally, the thought occurred to him. It was so simple, yet the most likely of success. Tell Dooku, in private, that he knows of Starkiller, and that he needs to dispose of him in the vacuum of space to ensure the boy remains dead. Then, hire a bounty hunter to collect the dead body to be taken to a medical facility shortly after his disposal. Once the boy regains consciousness, tell him of Tyranus' betrayal, and assure him of his revenge. Yes, quite simple. All he needs is a bounty hunter.

Cad Bane was the obvious choice. He was, after all, one of the best in the business, and has a wealth of experience evading Force-sensitives.

Palpatine opened his eyes, and looked out onto the cityscape below. The thought of trillions of beings being completely unaware of the events unfolding in front of their eyes was astonishing. He would imagine beings would try to safeguard as many of their liberties as possible. Shouldn't they at least take nominal interest in their freedoms slipping away under the guise of security?

Then Palpatine remembered, democracy never works. To him, it was the most deplorable system ever devised, where the uninformed masses can direct the winds of change, and they often land themselves in harm's way because of their poor decisions. To think the people can handle the power they are given is a laughable concept, even with a constitution giving them limited powers. The only good government is one that doesn't give consent to them. One in which a benevolent dictator is in charge. One that Palpatine is working towards.

'_I'm doing this for their own good, after all_' he reasoned to himself as he looked up to the sky. Off in the distance, dark clouds were assembling. But they were still at bay. The light from Coruscant Prime still shone brilliantly down upon the planet, reflecting brightly on the silvery surfaces of the building that constituted the upper city. Nevertheless, the star was setting, ever so slightly, and the clouds were approaching, slowly.

After finishing with these thoughts, he returned to his duties as Supreme Chancellor. He activated his holoprojector and sent a message to Master Windu requesting his audience.

As usual, within minutes, the form of the Jedi master was before him. His form, even through the holoprojector, still conveyed power and control. He will make a formidable opponent, but not one Palpatine can't handle.

"You requested my audience, Chancellor?" asked Windu, maintaining his calm voice while making a small bow of respect.

"Yes, Master Jedi. I would like to hear of the progress on Boz Pity." Palpatine said, hiding his hatred for the man behind the benevolent smile and noble posture.

"We have made considerable progress with the help of the Coalition. The Separatist blockade has been completely broken with minimal casualties on our end, and we have a strong beachhead on the planet." Windu reported, completely oblivious to Palpatine's motives.

"Excellent. I heard rumors that Count Dooku may be on the planet with you. Are these rumors true?" Palpatine asked, performing a perfect act of concern through his cold, calculating self.

"I have talked with the other Jedi here, and they all agree, his presence is quite strong here. I would be surprised if he wasn't here, Chancellor." Windu said honestly.

"Good." he began, sounding practically elated, "Maybe now this war can come to an end. His capture would signal an end to the Separatist threat."

"Signal, maybe, but not be the end we all want. Grievous escaped us again, and as long as he lives, the Separatist still are a formidable threat." Windu said, his voice not wavering in the slightest, unlike most with the mention of Grievous.

"Maybe so, Master Jedi, but I'll take whatever victory I can get. That is all. My the Force be with you." Palpatine said.

"And also with you Chancellor." Windu stated before the connection was severed.

XXX

CENSORED, CENSORED, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

"Director Ruckus wants to know anything we know about the senators on Palpatine's hit-list." reported the aging agent to the younger one, who was still stuck on the computer terminals.

Ever since the new terminals came in to help monitor the other prominent senators on Palpatine's hit list, the young agent found himself almost completely occupied during all times of the day. Days like this one didn't help either, considering there wasn't anything happening. The most they got was an unusual hologram of something in Senator Amidala's personal quarters, but the angle was bad and the resolution was too poor to conclude what it was. So, both the agents concluded it was nothing to worry about, and didn't mention it in their latest report to Director Ruckus.

"There's nothing to update him on. The only noteworthy thing they've done is go to Mon Mothma's office to discuss something, but until the audio bugs come in, we can only guess what they're talking about." reported the agent, clearly dissatisfied with the results.

"Well mention that and any suspicions anyone could theoretically have." said the older agent as he walked back into the other room, probably to either read from the holo in the room or sleep. That's pretty much all they do anyway.

With that in mind, the younger agent turned to one of the computer terminals not displaying images from the various bugs and began typing his report.

XXX

Separatists Inner Defense Grid, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System Halla Sector

"Prepare for the night assault." ordered a mysterious, dark, but also feminine voice to her subordinate commander.

"Yes ma'am." the dutiful droid replied as it moved back to begin issuing the ordered to his subordinates.

With the droid out of her presence, Ventress returned to her thoughts. She knew this was the best time to repel the ground assault while the Coalition and Republic troops were still making their defenses. How she was going to go about ending the blockade from above, she didn't know. She consulted with Dooku not too long ago, and he believed his master was going to send reinforcements. Ventress had her doubts. The Confederate Council had successfully escaped before the attack, and Dooku gave off the impression that he wasn't going to be staying for long either. To say she was suspicious was an understatement.

While she was brooding, out of the corner of her eye, in the dark bushes off in the distance, a small rustling could be heard. She immediately gave it her full attention, but whatever caused the commotion has stilled itself. Without hesitation, she walked over to the bush, and placed her hands on the hilts of her two lightsabers, prepared for whatever was hiding behind the cover the foliage provided.

Before getting too close to the bushes, she reached out with the Force, but found nothing to indicate there was anything there. At least no sentient beings.

Still, deep down, she still felt that someone was stalking her. This wasn't a new feeling for the relatively paranoid Dark Acolyte, but the past couple of days had her on edge. She just knew, albeit subconsciously, that she was being watched.

While these thoughts filled her head, she found herself in front of the bushes in question. Deciding that killing was not below her, and that her safety may depend on what she does, she ignited her two red lightsabers, and in one fluid motion, cut the bush in several small pieces. Once she was satisfied with the results, she noted that the only thing behind the bush was empty air. Without paying it any mind, she withdrew her blades, re-clipped them to her hip, and walked away. She thought that she should probably investigate the surrounding area, just to be safe, but decided it would be a waste of her time. Had she paid closer attention, though, she would have noticed the footprints still fresh in the ground from her stalker. As the week would continue, she would regret this minor mistake in judgement.

* * *

><p>Official Report Issued by Dr. Thomas Doyle, ONI Civilian Research Division, 10 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar)<p>

Excerpt of the_ Hypothesis on the Separation of Humanity_

There are a myriad of theories and hypothesis on how Humanity could have been separated between two galaxies without either knowing of the separation. While usually we would rely on archeological evidence to solve this problem, we must instead rely on less conventional means.

After discussing with various cultural historians, origin stories from the Andromeda Galaxy may provide some help. They usually state that, for humans, we were created by extraterrestrial beings who descended on Humanity's home planet, which is assumed to be Coruscant, and delivered Humanity unto the wilderness of that planet. From there, our development began.

This may seem like a wild exaggeration, or simplistic origin story, but this may be the reason behind it. While the description of the aliens that delivered us to our home planet in Andromeda is almost nonexistent, we can probably conclude it would be either the Forerunners or Precursors. The reasoning behind the separation cannot be found, but we can assume it was to better the "Reclaimers" chances of survival in the event of another Flood outbreak.

How humans, among other species, developed this supposed "Force-sensitivity" and why they are so genetically similar is still unknown, and will require further study. Nevertheless, a possible explanation for our existence in different galaxies can be explained away now.

**The next part will feature the night assault, arrival of the Spartans, and some fighting with the Jedi. I hope to extend this battle into three parts, of similar length to this one. More focus on Starkiller will be given in the ensuing ones, and his first duel with a Jedi approaches. Enjoy.**


	7. Chapter 6: Baptism of Fire, Part II

Chapter 6: Baptism of Fire, Part II

6 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 23:31:53/19:4 BBY

Separatist Inner Defense Grid, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

In a darkened meadow deep in the woods just beyond the headquarters for all Separatist activities on the planet, Asajj Ventress stood, looking out at the hundreds, if not thousands, of droids as they marched into the forests beyond their defensive perimeter. One would assume the sound would be thunderous, but surprisingly enough, it was comparatively quiet. The droids were instructed that this was a stealth operation, and they took precautions to make sure they would not be detected, at least by sound. Ahead of the formations were the Chameleon Droids, famous for their stealth capabilities. They would preform well in this surprise assault. While she overlooked the troops, a droid commander neared her.

"Commander, how is the operation shaping up?" asked Ventress as she stood next to one of the droid commanders.

"We're proceeding on schedule. The attack should begin in one hour." reported the droid dutifully in its usual mechanical voice.

"Excellent. Commander, I need to you keep a close eye on the perimeter. The last thing we need is any of their forces slipping through." Ventress continued, now facing the droid, eyeing it with contempt.

"Roger roger." the robot replied almost worriedly as it made its way to the troops nearby and spread the word.

While Ventress turned to look out at the land before her, she felt her communicator vibrate, indicating she was needed. She turned from her duties, and answered the com unit to see it was from Dooku.

Once she pressed the button at the center of the mechanism, a holographic representation of the dark lord stood before her. Dooku stood tall and confident, as he always did. His aristocratic backround was evident by his posture alone, but his voice also conveyed that past.

"Yes, my lord?" Ventress said at the Dark Lord as he stood before her, the blue light casting an almost eerie glow on the ground near her.

"Ventress, you are to go to the front lines and attack with your troops. We need to be certain of success. Failure is not an option here." Dooku replied, his deep voice conveying confidence, or arrogance.

"Yes, my lord." Ventress said with a slight bow before deactivating her com unit.

Finally, she thought, she could slay one of the troublesome Jedi that would stand in her way. Preferably Skywalker's brat. She had been a nuisance since she first encountered her all those years ago. Ever since their first duel, Ventress anticipated the day when she could slay the Jedi, and shift her full, undivided attention, to Skywalker and Kenobi.

While going though the blissful thought of killing the lot of them, Ventress felt a ping of trepidation surface from within. This was not an uncommon feeling, at least as of late. Especially since the incident couple hours ago, when she felt certain there was someone observing her.

'_No matter_' she thought while walking to the front at a leisurely pace, _'Whoever it is, they'd be foolish to attack me.'_

XXX

Separatists Headquarters, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

Deep in the facility that the Separatists made their headquarters, in the west wing, a dark conference room contained two of some of the most powerful Sith in existence. One of them, the master, walked over to where the other kneeled in front of him, obediently. His brown cape flowed effortlessly behind him as he walked with his head held high. Finally, he apprentice spoke.

"You summoned me, Master?" said the dark apprentice as he knelt down in front of the dark lord.

"Yes, my apprentice. Rise." the dark lord said while motioning with his hand for Starkiller to rise.

Once Starkiller was standing at full attention in front of Dooku, he bowed his head, closed his eyes, and asked, "What is thy bidding, my master?"

"The time for you to strike is near, Starkiller. By tomorrow's end, Ventress must be dead. Is that understood?" said Dooku as he began walking towards the window of the darkened room he found himself in.

Beyond the glass, the cold air moved with the wind and shook the trees a short distance away. Their gentle sway almost rhythmic, able to mesmerize anyone who dared observe for long, save for this dark lord, of course.

"Yes, my lord. What shall I do if I encounter any, _onlookers_, while my mission is carried out?" asked Starkiller, subtly conveying the message he wanted to send. 'Can I kill the Jedi while I'm at it?'

Dooku, getting the message that was being sent, replied, "Not yet, my apprentice. You're final test nears, but is not here yet. I assure you, though, if you can strike down Ventress, there isn't a Jedi in the galaxy that could stand up to you, save for a handful. But those few individuals will be dealt with, soon enough."

"Yes, my master." Starkiller said while bowing again, his voice conveying disappointment.

"Now go forth, and track down Ventress. She nears the Confederate front lines. Observe her fighting style one last time while she engages the enemy. I'll give additional instructions when the attack fails." finished Dooku as he waved his hand towards the door nearby, opening it for his apprentice to go through.

Without hesitation, the dark apprentice walked out of the room, then sprinted down the hallway he found himself in. His dark cloak practically parallel with the ground as he sprinted, and his hood resting against his shoulders by the force of his acceleration and gravity. His pale face and brown eyes conveyed darkness, and an inhuman lust for destruction. He was a Sith, through and through. It only took seconds for him to reach the door, and enter the darkness beyond. While Starkiller was making his way through the dark forest to the front lines, Dooku continued to look out of the window, anticipating the battle ahead.

* * *

><p>7 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 00:02:4319:4 BBY

Sector 42-F Defense Line, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

Deep in the woods, no more than a kilometer from the nearest F.O.B., a small company of Marines waited in the defense works, ready to hold the frontline of the allied advance from their foxholes. The wind picked up somewhat as of late, and the trees rustled, masking the sound of the droids as they neared their immediate objective.

"Hey Johnson," called one of the troops as he leaned back against the earthen wall, facing another one of his friends, "where the hell did you learn to make coffee like this?"

"Your mom taught me while I was over last night." the other replied quickly with a chuckle as he took another sip of his coffee he brew a couple minutes earlier.

"Fuck you too." the original marine said in response, trying to fight back the urge to chuckle as well in between sips of the steaming drink.

"Hey lovebirds," said the commander as he neared the two from above ground, "you mind keeping your mouths shut. I can't hear a damn thing over your courting."

"Yes sir." they both said as they set down their drinks on a nearby step and joined their comrades manning the foxholes.

Not another word was said as they both peered into the forest ahead, diligently looking for any movement.

Suddenly, a rustle was heard in some bushed not too far away, drawing the undivided attention of the two marines.

One of them said just loud enough for everyone nearby to hear, "Movement, 100 meters, east." while pulling his Assault Rifle up to fire on whoever dared enter his sights.

In response, the rest of the men nearby pulled their weapons up, and aimed at the direction the marine indicated earlier. Most of them, being inexperienced in combat, trembled at the thought of engaging the enemy. Their guns shook in their hands as they tried, and failed, to steady themselves. For most of them, they had to wipe away the sweat that blocked their vision using their free hands. Their breathing was heavy and labored, and they seemed anxious.

Then, while they all focused on the bush in question, a small, fox like animal emerged and began looking at the soldiers as they leveled their weapons, ready to fire.

"Great call, Savron!" said one of the marines as he allowed his weapon to drop and look at the marine in question.

"Fuck you, Fredriks." Savron replied as he, too, lowered his weapon and eased himself back into the foxhole.

Then, while everybody was also easing back into their foxholes, a _snap-hiss_, not to dissimilar to an energy sword ignition, was heard in the bushes nearby. Everybody shot back up, scanning the area for whatever caused that sound, but noticed nothing.

Suddenly, they all noticed a red outlined beam of light no more than a meter in length shoot up, illuminating a dark figure as it ascended into the canopy above. All the nearby marines followed the figure until they couldn't see it past the leaves, and looked around for it, failing to notice the invisible droids as they silently approached the lines.

Finally, after searching for the possible hostile in question, one of the Marines said, "What...the fuck...was that!"

Before anyone could respond, the crab-like droids, now only a couple meters away, decloaked and opened fire on the soldiers.

The screams of agony from the soldiers could be heard from half a kilometer away. Their shields failed to protect them for long, and soon enough, they faded into nonexistence under the onslaught, allowing the plasma bolts to make contact with the armor and flesh of the marines below. The smell of cauterized flesh hung in the air, as the last shots rang out, making quick work of the defenders. Luckily, though, the droids failed to notice one, who was currently fiddling with the radio on his back.

"Come on! Come on!" he silently said to himself, failing to hear the hum of the weapon behind him.

"There!" he said, finally bale to communicate to the other side.

Before he could get his message out, though, the faint red glow off of the earth in front of him, and hum of the weapon behind him hanging in the air caught his attention. He slowly turned around to see a pale face with dark, inhuman eyes staring at him, or at the radio he was trying to man. He could practically feel the anger and hatred in them as the creature bored through his very soul with that look of disdain. Then, without any indication if its next action, it drove the sword through his heart, with a quick ping of pain that registered in his mind, before his vision faded and he finally succumbed to the cold reaches of death.

"Commander," one of the droids said as it walked up to the pale, motionless figure, "all of our scouts are reporting success. We can push through, unobstructed, to their forward operating bases now."

"Excellent." she said, her dark feminine voice echoing through the woods, as she deactivated her lightsaber and began moving with her droid troops to their designated position near the hostile lines.

* * *

><p>7 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 00:26:4219:4 BBY

Zulu Forward Operating Base, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

"Commander Tano, we have some mysterious sightings beyond the perimeter. Would you please come by and help us determine what they are?" said the dutiful clone commander to Ahsoka, who was suddenly awoken by the same commander not a few seconds ago.

She slowly opened her eyes, just beyond the realm of sleep, and said, groggily, "Alright Commander. I'll be up in a minute."

"Yes ma'am." replied the clone as he left the tent, giving Ahsoka her privacy again.

She muttered to herself, "Why do they always have to find trouble when I'm sleeping?"

Ahsoka got up, put on her Jedi attire and robe to protect her from the relative cold wind that had blown into the base, and made her way to the place where the sightings took place, with the clone commander leading the way. She looked around to find most of her men, as well as the Coalition troops sleeping, or approaching that state of mind. She almost envied them. Almost.

As they neared the intricate trench systems set up by the allied forces earlier, Ahsoka felt a presence in the Force she always regretted feeling. Whatever sleepiness she was feeling immediately left her as she shot up, fully aware of her surroundings, and looked around for the woman she detested more than most.

The clone commander took note of her reaction, and began issuing orders for nearby troops to ready themselves. Better safe than sorry, he reasoned.

Then, out of nowhere, a red bolt of plasma was fired. By some unfortunate twist of fate, it was aimed for the commander. Before Ahsoka could ignite her lightsaber to deflect the shot, it impacted with the clone's chest, flinging him back several steps before he fell to the ground, dead.

Right then, a sea of red plasma was fired upon the defenders.

In between deflecting shots aimed at her, Ahsoka said, "Raise the alarm!" to anyone capable to doing the task.

Within a short period of time, the alarms were raised. Ahsoka didn't bother to see who was able to do this act. She was too distracted by the constant fire descending upon her. She immediately made way to the nearest trench to join the troops.

Once inside the defenses, she looked to see her troops, Coalition and Republic, returning fire. She now had time to reflect, regardless how short that time was, on the fighting capabilities of the average soldier in the Coalition.

She looked around for the nearest one of them, and found a human male in green camouflaged armor pop his head out of cover to fire his rifle as the approaching droids. She noted that it firing ballistic rounds, instead of the plasma she was accustomed to, and said rounds had a devastating effect on the droids. Just a handful of shots and a droid was done for.

While thinking these thoughts over, she noticed several bolts of plasma impact with a previously invisible force-field, which immediately protected the soldier in a golden field around them, before the field dissipated back into invisibility.

While still observing the soldier in question in action, she felt a sudden ping of danger from above, and instinctively rolled back to avoid whatever was threatening her. She heard the usual hum of a lightsaber, and felt like a complete idiot for not noticing it earlier.

Once out of her roll and on her feet again, she turned around to see who it was. Ventress.

"Don't you have an appointment with the local witch's meeting?" asked Ahsoka.

"After hearing you were invited, I chose to avoid it like the plague." Ventress responded, smiling devilishly at her next victim.

XXX

CSS _Redemption_, Orbit of Boz Pity, Boz Pity system, Halla Sector

"Sir, we're getting reports of a full scale attack from the Separatists!" yelled one of the ensigns in the bridge, which had descended into chaos, resulting from the cacophony of alarms and indications on terminals of hostile sightings on the surface of the planet.

"Get me General Kenobi, now!" yelled Oku in response as he walked in front of the holographic display in preparation for the arrival of the general.

Mere moments later, the communications ensign said, "Sir, Generals Kenobi, Skywalker, and Windu are all preoccupied fending off the attack. Lieutenant General Winsfeild is the highest ranking officer available."

"Alright. Get him on." Oku ordered

"Yes sir."

After a few tense moments of waiting, the holographic representation of the Lieutenant General illuminated the recently darkened room in an almost eerie blue light.

Once the officer saw who had asked for his audience, he immediately saluted the admiral, then said, "You requested my presence sir?"

"Yes General. I am under the impression that your forces groundside are under attack. Is this true?" Oku asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes sir. I was hoping you could spare some bombers to help fend off the assault." replied the general as he maintained his stoic expression and posture.

"Of course, General." replied Oku as he motioned with his hand to a nearby ensign to begin issuing this order.

"Can you also spare those Spartans? the sooner we get them, the better our chances of fending off the assault." continued Winsfeild.

"I'm sorry General, but they're incapacitated at the moment. You'll just have to wait until their designated arrival time." said Oku.

"Yes sir." finished Winsfeild as the connection was severed, causing the lights in the bridge to automatically turn back on.

XXX

CSS _Redemption_, Orbit if Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

From a theoretical standpoint, most of the universe is nothing more but empty space, save for the almost random assortment of electrons and atomic nuclei. One could even go so far as to create an analogy in which space itself is an example of this quantum landscape, where the vast majority of space is occupied by nothingness, save for the almost random assortment of stars, planets asteroids, and other heavenly bodies.

In a small quadrant of space, orbiting above a relatively insignificant planet by even galactic standards, a massive supercarrier was fueling and arming numerous bombers and fighters in preparation for the impending bombing run.

While his comrades were still prepping their vessels for the coming attack, Jake sat in the cockpit of his fighter, waiting patiently for the order to launch. He had prepared for launch long ago, seeing that the bombing run was an inevitability. While everybody was moving around like bees around a hive, trying to get everything ready, he watched, a content smile on his face, as everybody played their role. Jake took amusement out of the runners as they moved from ship to ship, refueling or rearming; the pilots as they ran to their individual fighters or bombers and began the pre-flight checks; and the machines and robots that moved without a care in the world, moving just as fast as they were programmed to move.

Just as fast.

Finally, after waiting for a long while, Jake's headset came to life, and the bridge said to the flight leader, "Tower to Firefly Lead, you're free to go. How copy, over."

"Tower, solid copy. Out." responded Jake as he pressed a series of buttons on the console in front of him.

His fingers moved as if they had a mind of their own across the console, and soon, he felt the craft begin to levitate off the ground. He pulled on the lever in front of him, which sent the Liberator soaring towards the hanger exit. It only took seconds for him to leave the confines of the supercarrier, and enter the void of space, leaving the chaos of the hanger bays behind.

While waiting for the rest of his squadron to soar out of their respective hanger bays like he did not a moment ago, he observed the rotating planet to his left, filling a full quarter of his viewport in its magnificence. While it wasn't any Reach, or Earth, or Epsilon Euridina, it was pretty damn close in his opinion. The pale green landscape cast an almost eerie presence in the space around it, both inviting and foreboding. It was like one of the oracles of old, which invited the protagonist into their lair only to give the worst of news to the story's hero. Dark revelations seemed to be given on the surface of this heavenly body.

While Jake was musing with these thoughts, the rest of his squadron mates soon joined him in his ever repeating movements around the supercarrier.

"Firefly Lead, we ain't got all day, over." said one of the pilots, now growing impatient and unable to wait any longer.

"Sorry Firefly. I got a little distracted, over." was Jake's response as he pulled off from his patrol and moved with the rest of the bombers to the planet below.

The entire formation, consisting of many dozens of fighters and bombers, began moving to the darker side of the planet below, and found themselves within the reaches of the atmosphere in no time. Once the bombers and fighters made contact with the upper reached of the atmosphere, they all leveled out to have their ships angled horizontally, to allow the belly of their craft take the intense heat from the friction caused by air and metal. It was not long before the viewports were completely covered in blindingly bright flames that licked the whole of the ships.

If one were to observe from the ground, it would appear that a great meteor shower had reached the planet, but all the objects, instead of streaking across the sky, were coming, head first, to the ground. All the craft left behind a long, fiery trail as they descended at supersonic speeds towards their objective below.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the flames cleared and the landscape, draped in a veil of darkness, was all that stood below. The ships leveled themselves out after the near pit-fall, activated their rear engines with a new force, and moved hastily to their designated areas. The fighters guarding from the outside of the giant formation as the bombers seeped across the areas the Confederates were known to be attacking.

After descending to little more than a kilometer above the canopy, the bombers and fighters broke off and moved to their designated areas, with Firefly going to sector 67-A, near Kilimanjaro Forward Operating Base.

XXX

Kilimanjaro Forward Operating Base, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

"Two droidekas, one hundred meters, north!" yelled one of the ODST's who was forced into the trenches when the attack began not ten minutes ago.

Richard, who was also hard pressed into service to defend the F.O.B., popped out of cover to find the droids in question. He scanned the area with his rifle, looking past all the usual B1 Battle Droids and B2 Super Battle Droids for the droidekas spotted.

As he looked, fire from the attackers concentrated on his exposed form, causing him to duck behind the walls of the trench for cover on more than one occasion.

Finally, he found the two shielded droidekas as they neared his position and began firing on the machine gun post set up and manned by his Republic allies. Without hesitation, he began firing on both of them, trying the get their attention. It worked, and by the time he had to reload, the droidekas were firing, albeit inaccurately, on his position.

Richard ducked behind cover, pulled out his last EMP grenade, and poked his head out of cover to aim for the deadly enemies. He noticed that they neared considerably, and were well within range of the grenade. He lobbed it overhead, and it landed in between the two hostiles. He stayed above ground just long enough to see the grenade go off, emitting an electro-magnetic pulse capable of destroying all droids in the nearby area.

Now that their shields were down and they lay slumped against the ground, he fired several rounds into each, obliterating their relatively delicate forms. It was a habit he quickly picked up on in this battle.

With the droidekas out of the way, he looked around for new targets. Setting his sights on a group of five B1 Battle Droids and opened up on the exposed enemy as they fired in another direction. One of the five was taking cover behind a tree, albeit poorly, and was the first to be fired on. Richard moved the crosshair over the center of its chest, and pulled the trigger not an instant later. The rounds, moving near the speed of sound, impacted with the droid's chest, and blew apart its internal circuitry with only three rounds. Moving his sights to the left, he spotted another droid in the group advancing, and fired a burst at the head of the clumsy hostile. Before the droid could even register that it was in danger, its head was obliterated, decimated, with scrap metal spread over a short diameter from the droid itself as the body fell down into the earth before it. The remaining three droids, Richard noticed, were burning from cauterized holes spread throughout their bodies, and a long string of blue colored plasma shooting above where they were towards unknown enemies.

While he was decimating the enemy when they came near, he failed to notice the group of Super Battle Droids near him and get ready to fire. Richard heard the all too familiar sound of machine parts moving, and looked to see three Super Battle Droids were aiming their arm-mounted guns at him. He ducked again behind his cover as they opened up on him. The dirt above his head got kicked up from the assault, raining earth down upon him and his nearby comrades as the sea of rad plasma impacted with the earthen mound and trench they used for cover.

Just as he was about to pop out of cover, he heard the sound of a loud explosion. While his ears were previously filled with the sounds of battle, as plasma and bullets were exchanged, they now were filled with an incessant ringing.

After the explosion, once his hearing came back, he no longer heard the firing from the direction the droids were shooting at him from, or from as close as they were. He looked out, to find a crater where the droid were and a lingering black smoke clinging to the air nearby, before it dissipated to reveal a Unggoy carrying a rocket launcher and moving around, trying to find some more targets. Richard made a note of it to find that "Grunt" after the battle and buy him a drink.

XXX

"Alright Firefly, we're coming up on our target. Be forewarned, it's danger-close, so keep your eyes on the target." said Jake over the com unit to his squad mates.

The ensuing five minutes went by quickly as the trees below sped away, the Liberators moving close to the speed of sound to their target. Once within sight, they say the red plasma and tracer rounds exchanging in the open sky, as the battle seemed to be reaching its crescendo.

Jake pushed his fighter to the breaking point, trying to get the last bit of speed out of it. His efforts were rewarded with a little speed increase, as his squadron did the same to stay in formation.

It only took seconds to be in position to drop their payloads, but it felt like hours were passing by. Jake slowed his breathing, allowing time itself to slowdown in his mind. He looked at the display in front of him, waiting for the crosshairs, indicating where his payload would drop, would hover over the enemy positions. Ideally, they would not be any closer than 100 meters form the allied trench system.

When he noticed the crosshairs over the enemy, he pressed down on the button on the yoke, and looked on as the fighter moved up slightly, relieved of the weight, and steady itself automatically. The seconds ticked away, until the definite sounds of massive explosions filled the ears of the pilots of Firefly squadron.

Strange, he thought. He was accustomed to fighting in the vacuum of space, where no sound or vibrations would reach his vessel. The last time he ever dropped a bomb planet-side was in his training. The sound of the explosion below him almost sickened him, and the subsequent vibrations from the heavy ordinance jolted him more than he would like. The thought that he may have dropped his payload too close to the allied trench systems filled his mind as well.

"Kilimanjaro, this is Firefly. How copy, over?" Jake asked, trying to hold back the fear of friendly fire from reaching his voice.

"Firefly, this is Kilimanjaro, target destroyed. Excellent shot!" said the ground control commander to the squadron as it passed by again over the battlefield.

Jake let out a sigh of relief, as the heavy burden of the "what-if's" were lifted off of his shoulders. The flight leader then went back to readjusting his radio frequency, and tried to contact the other flight leaders.

"Flight leaders, this is Firefly. How copy, over?" he asked, once he found the proper frequency and angled his craft upward to return to the supercarrier, followed closely behind by the rest of his squadron.

"Firefly, this is Gambit. Mission successful. Out."

"Firefly, this is Achilles. Mission successful. Out."

"Firefly, this is Hellfire. Mission Successful. Out."

One by one, each of the flight leaders chimed in that their mission was a success, and they all began returning to their carriers or supercarriers in orbit, leaving the destroyed remains of the Separatists assault behind for those groundside to clean up.

XXX

"Eight hostiles, one hundred and fifty meters, north." reported Richard as he noticed a group of six regular Battle Droids and two Super Battle Droids moving towards their position.

Richard poked his head above cover with another soldier, a Coalition Marine, and began firing on the droids in question. He leveled his sights on the two Battle Droids to the right, and opened fire with his BR on the two. With only eight shots, both the droids were perforated with bullet holes and laying slumped against the ground, unable to consciously hold itself up.

The marine to his left also began firing on one of the Super Battle Droids with his Plasma Rifle, and destroyed it with only a handful of shots. The Super Battle Droids slumped to the ground, somewhat slowly, as if it were fighting against the force of gravity still, then laid against the ground, the blue tinted scorch marks producing smoke that rose into the air.

Once the marine was satisfied that the droid wasn't going to come back to life, he moved his weapon to aim it at the other Super Battle Droid, which was no more than ten meters from its companion. Before firing on the new enemy, he noticed most of the other regular Battle Droids were nothing more but scrap metal, save for two who fired on their position relentlessly with their remaining blue armored companion.

The marine and Richard shot each other a quickly glance before they both opened up on the remaining three droids, and soon enough, all of the enemies were dead on the ground, with bullet holes or scorch marks decorating their bodies.

They both looked around for any other enemies, and noticed a particular group of them firing on the machine gun nest nearest them. It was almost mesmerizing to see the exchange of blue and red plasma bolts exchanged between the two sides, lighting up the darkened ground below and fill the air with their all too familiar sounds.

Before either Richard or the marine could open fire, a loud shot could be heard above the others, and Richard instinctively knew what it was. There was a sniper in the trees nearby, and he had his sights on them. Richard looked around once he was safely behind the cover the earthen trench could provide him for the marine companion he found at the battle's beginning. In his place resided a lifeless corpse. His face, previously filled with a mixture of fear and excitement was now emotionless. His eyes glassed over, and his mouth agape, and blood pooling below his head, mixing with the dirt. Above his eyes, where his helmet was supposed to protect his cranium from damage, a scorch mark resided, and it clearly penetrated through to his brain below.

He may have only have been known for a handful of minutes, but he felt like he lost a brother. The two had been fighting together since the battle began, watching each other's backs, keeping track of the number of enemies they killed. The two even made a bet in one of the lulls of the battle: whoever got the most kills would have the other pay for drinks.

While he was so consumed by the grief of losing a companion, whose name he didn't even know, he heard the close sound of a thunderous explosion rattle the ground and send dirt and other debris into the air and back down with light force. Richard was distracted by his thoughts enough to look over the trench he made his haven and saw the carnage above. The tree-line was pushed back another couple hundred meters as the ground was filled with the smoke, flames, and craters caused by the bombing run not a moment earlier. What few trees and bushes remained were engulfed in flames, which rose high into the sky with the smoke before running out of fuel quickly and dying down. This left only a few remaining where vegetation used to reside. What was once a dark forest was now a well light field, with the remaining fires acting as torches and casting an eerie glow upon the area nearby.

XXX

Ahsoka felt the time for quips as over, and charged at the Dark Acolyte, her green lightsaber ignited and ready to strike down the enemy. Ventress saw this coming, and blocked Ahsoka's high strike with ease while sending her own as the Knight's legs. Ahsoka skillfully jumped above the blade, and struck down upon her several times in the air at Ventress' head before landing behind the Force-sensitive assassin. Before she could renew her offensive, Ventress spun around and launched her own assault. Ahsoka tried desperately to block all the attacks, but found herself backing up through the trench system.

Seeing that there wasn't much maneuverability in the trenches, Ahsoka jumped out of them to the ground above. Ventress quickly followed, and renewed her attack, now angered this Jedi would try to flee. Yet again, Ahsoka was only just successful in blocking all the attacks against her, but nevertheless succeeded in protecting herself. That's all she could do though. Ventress was too quick to attack, but just slow enough to block. If Ahsoka would have had a decent night's sleep, she might have been better off against the enemy, but as it stood, she was fighting her own fatigue and a dangerous enemy.

Yet again, Ahsoka found herself backing up. When a strike threatened her head, she dodged to the right, and launched her own attack, thinking this was the only opportunity she may have. Ventress expected this, though, and blocked Ahsoka's attack with her left lightsaber before striking the Knight's lightsaber with her right.

Without her lightsaber, Ahsoka rolled back, only to find herself flying backwards because of a Force-push from her nemesis. Before long, Ventress was on top of Ahsoka, her crimson lightsabers crossed over Ahsoka's neck in a scissor, ready to close the gap in a moment's notice.

"Well Tano, it's been a pleasure, but I must be on my way. Nice seeing you again." said the assassin evilly as she prepared to close her "X".

Before she could close, it, though, another _snap-hiss_ was heard behind her. It wasn't from a lightsaber, she could tell. This one had a different tone it. Before killing Tano, she turned her head to see the threat, and found an humanoid alien, easily two meters in height, moving towards her in record speed.

It had a dark blue helmet, chest plate, arm guards, and leg guards covering most of its body. It's head was familiar in design, save for the small, beady eyes and the four mandibles that made up its mouth and chin. It looked muscular by nature, and she could easily guess its training would have honed its already exceptional skills.

Deciding that Ahsoka can wait, she turned to face the threat. She now just noticed the clear purple-blue blade in its hand. It was vastly different in design. It separated at the hilt into two different pincers as long as her one lightsaber. They were reconnected above the hilt, and separated again, but only a few centimeters apart for the length of the blade.

Before she could marvel at the design of the blade any longer, she defensively blocked the threat it posed when the being launched an upward strike meant to bisect the Dark Acolyte from below. She briefly hoped that the blade wouldn't hold against her lightsaber, but was disappointed to find it was more than capable to blocking her weapon.

The being spoke through its four mandibles in plain, yet imposing, Basic, "You dishonor your entire race by trying to take the life of a prisoner of war. You will pay!"

"And are you to be the one to deliver this punishment?" Ventress asked, trying to agitate the hostile while their swords were still locked.

"I will, and with pleasure." he replied, nearing the face of the pale skinned acolyte.

"You will try, my disgusting friend." Ventress replied, her previously mischievous tone replaced with frustration.

"I grow tired of this pointless talking." it said in its apparently usual deep voice.

Just then, it retracted its blade from the lock they found themselves in, and continued to strike at a surprising speed. Ventress, while able to block and parry the continuous attacks, still found some difficulty in the task.

Ventress blocked another series of strikes aimed at her midsection, and then took the opportunity to make her own offensive. The alien stepped back, unprepared for the sudden assault, and found himself backing up more and more. Finally, while the pale demon was focusing both her blades at striking at his head simultaneously, it ducked, and slashed for her legs. It was only her quick reflexes that saved her as she jumped overhead.

Once she landed, she looked at her opponent, and found no indication of it being tired in the slightest, while she was beginning to expend her energy in simply keeping up. She pushed back the gnawing sensation of fear that began to rise in the pit of her stomach, and continued to block the new assault the alien threw at her.

After blocking a strike meant for her midsection, Ventress jumped over the head of the alien, and struck down upon the opponent from above. The enemy was expecting this, and with reflexes that would make a Jedi envious, it severed one of Ventress' lightsabers after blocking the strike.

Knowing this fight was bound to be a defeat for her, Ventress Force-pushed the being several meters back once her feet were on the ground, and made a bee-line for friendly lines. She looked around to find the fight, while still going, was an utter failure. After the bombing run, her attack quickly ran out of steam to continue, and most of her troops were retreating through the burning forest. The defenses for the Coalition and Republic, while wavering, still held. She had severely underestimated the abilities of the Coalition, and their air force.

Ventress turned back to see the hostile approaching her quickly, at speeds that only could be possessed by those with intimate knowledge and training with the Force, or with muscular legs like this being possessed. With every bit of energy she still had, she used the Force to quicken her sprint, bounded over the trenches, and was back in the woods within a matter of seconds.

The Sangheili looked around after the white skinned enemy left, and found that Separatists demons in full retreat. He let out a primal roar, enticing his coalition allies to return the favor, and decided that now was the best time to consult with the person he just saved.

Ahsoka got up from the spot she found herself in, and noticed the alien that saved her life approaching. She thought back to the datapads she read earlier about the various species in the Coalition, and remembered this species was one of the most important in their military structure, usually holding positions of command or fighting in special operations. The Sangheili.

She walked over to meet the friendly half-way, and said, "Thanks. I would've been dead if it weren't for you."

"It's my duty commander." replied the Sangheili while giving a slight bow to Tano.

"Well, thank you again, um..."

"Kuhna. Stealth Operations Staff Sergeant Kuhna."

"Thanks' Kuhna. May I ask where you learned such swordsmanship?" Ahsoka asked while she began walking back to the lines to check up on the troops.

"I came from an aristocratic family on Sangheilios." he replied as he joined his commander, "Knowledge of swordsmanship has been ingrained in me since birth."

As they both walked over a fallen pole of some kind that had blocked the road they were traveling down, the Sangheili continued, "I noticed you are quite proficient yourself. May I ask the same question?"

"I was living in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant since I was three." Ahsoka said in response, now on the other side of the obstacle and nearing the trenches.

"Since a lightsaber is the only weapon of a Jedi, you can guess what I learned to use. This war has honed my skills, as you can apparently tell, but not enough, evidently." she continued.

"You undersell yourself Commander. You performed admirably. Were it not for the dishonorable tactics of that vile creature, you would have bested it." Kuhna replied confidently, certain of his commander's abilities.

Ahsoka thought this over for a bit as she descended down the steps into the trenches, and said, "Well, that may be true, but I don't think the likes of her is too caring of fairness in war."

With that, their conversation ended, as they parted to tend to the wounded or help rebuild what was damaged by the attack. Ahsoka pushed down the gnawing sensation, which told her to return to her tent and enjoy what little sleep she could get, but they both had a lot of work ahead of them. She resigned herself to her fate, and went looking for the commander to get an after action report.

XXX

While Richard looked on at the apocalyptic sight before him, he noticed no more plasma or bullets being exchanged with the attackers. The sounds of battle had been replaced with the sound of flames and shouting from those possibly wounded as it echoed thorough the battlefield. He concentrated his eyes on movement, and saw a handful of droids as they pulled back through the fires and craters to their defensive lines several kilometers away.

Now that there was a lull in the battle, Richard neared the dead body of the marine who fought gallantly beside him. He looked for the silver glint of the dog tag, and noticed it hanging outside of his armor, right above where his heart would be. He knelt down, and looked at the identification, reading it silently to himself.

_Hector_

_Xandiz, H._

_165-721-6992_

_B POS_

_Catholic_

"You didn't deserve this fate Hector." Richard said silently to himself as he stood and stepped onto the elevated step, allowing him an unobstructed view of the battlefield before him.

Richard stayed in the trench for another ten minutes, expecting the droids to launch another assault once they recuperated. No such attack came, though, so he, albeit hesitantly, walked out of the trench to assess the damage. He made a note of it to walk in the opposite direction of the dead body of his fallen comrade.

Along his route to the stairs to reach above ground, he noticed a smoking crater where a machine gun nest was. He neared it, to find the roof of the MG nest caved in, and the sides of the trench that it connected to in a slope, making passage from the open terrain above and the trench below remarkably easy. Indeed, the droid attackers made use of this, and funneled themselves through it and into the guns of the defenders. Richard noticed a handful of dead bodies, both Coalition and Republic, strewn about, most of them facing the dead bodies of their droid counterparts, who outnumbered the allied forces in dead by at least three to one. Their advance did not apparently make it far.

Once Richard was done taking in this sight, he ventured out of the trench to find the greater battlefield in a relatively similar condition. Great plums of black smoke climbed high into the air form all points, and Richard could even see in the distance, similar smoke reaching high into the atmosphere. Obviously this wasn't an isolated incident.

Once Richard was done taking in the morbid sight, he made his way back to his platoon checkpoint, where they were to assemble in case this event were to occur. He didn't bother to look around at the carnage, as he stared forward, completely focused on the route ahead.

Once he was inside the tent, he noticed most of his platoon was safe, save for three or four of his platoon that have yet to return.

First Lieutenant Jacobs Devron, a tall man by nature, who possessed enough of a dark pigment to almost blend in with the darkness that surrounded them, spoke to his assembled men in his deep, almost guttural voice, "Alright, I think that's all. Reports are coming in saying the Separatists are in full retreat, and they look like they won't be coming back anytime soon."

The Latino commander continued, "Before you all return to your bunks to get some much needed rest, I want you all to know that this F.O.B. is safe because of your efforts. You all held the line that needed to be held, and you should all feel proud. That is all, men."

XXX

Archer Forward Operating Base, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

"Do you think the Confederate commanders will ever tire of trying to attack us?" asked Kenobi while he deflected another series of bolts of plasma sent his way with his lightsaber, sending the bolts back to the droids who originally fired them.

"Judging by the fact this is their fourth wave, I doubt it Master." replies Anakin, who went on the offensive on the droids before him, swinging his blade in wide arcs to cut down the enemies before him.

Just like all the other F.O.B.'s in the area, Archer was under attack from the droid forces. At the moment, the two Jedi were back to back, defending the other against the hostiles that had surrounded them. Were it not for the fact that the droids had more rocket troops available than previously anticipated, both generals would have not been in this situation. But as it were, the droids poured through the small holes they created in the defensive lines, and now only these two Jedi stood in the way of them getting any further into the F.O.B.

It became apparent that the focus of the attack was at Archer, when it became clear that all the other bases replied saying the Confederates in their sector were in full retreat after the bombing run. The Confederates seemed to be relentless, ignoring the apocalyptic scene behind them as they continued to press the assault.

In a series of powerful, yet almost elegant strikes, the last of the droid attackers were cut down before the Skywalker while Kenobi directed the last of their fire back at them, burning their circuitry and ending their miserable existence with them laying on the ground, electricity pouring out onto the earth below in long, blue arcs.

The two Jedi retracted their blades and began assessing the damage done. From the looks of it, the rest of the droids did not fare well against the defenses in place. Where one or two bodies of Coalition soldiers or clone troopers lay in the trenches, ten defeated droid bodies resided on the open terrain above. It would have been considered a massacre were it not for the fact that more often than not, the Confederates had eleven droids available, not just ten. Nevertheless, the line held, and the two Jedi returned to the trenches to receive the after action report from their subordinates.

"Cody, may I be so bold as to ask how the situation is shaping up after this surprise attack?" asked Kenobi as the two entered the trench-works and made their way to the yellow and white armored clone, who himself was walking through the trenches, assessing the damage himself.

"All sectors are reporting full retreat from the Seppies, sir." replied the loyal clone as he neared the two Jedi.

"Thank you Cody. If you don't mind, we'll be returning to our sleep. Fetch us if there is anything that needs our attention." said Kenobi as he and Anakin made way out of the other side of the trenches back to their tent.

"Yes sir." Cody said as he turned back to begin issuing orders to his subordinates to clean up the mess made by the attack.

As the pair made their way to the tent they resided, Kenobi remembered the Spartans they were to meet up with in another couple hours.

He looked to Anakin, who seemed distracted by something, and said, "We won't be getting much sleep. The 'Spartans' are coming down to help us with our little infiltration mission."

Anakin snapped out of whatever he was thinking about and said, sarcastically "Great! I'm always looking forward to sleep deprivation."

"I know Anakin. But we have a job to do. Best we get it done when the Separatists aren't expecting and quicken the pace of this dreadful battle." Kenobi said, stepping over the body of a fallen droid on the road.

"I know Master, but that doesn't make the tiredness any more bearable." Anakin responded as the pair neared the outside of their tent.

Kenobi only nodded as they entered their tent, which was surprisingly enough, still intact. Both expected to have to move into the trenches again and hope it wouldn't rain.

The pair made themselves as comfortable as they could be on the cots provided, and tried to find sleep. For Kenobi, it was easy enough, but Anakin had a little more difficulty. For the past week, while he was away from Padmé, he's been having strange dreams. On some occasions, he would hear the crying of a baby, or the pained screams of a woman. On other times, though, he would have visions of a black suited monstrosity. The last seemed to dominate his sleep deprived mind, more so than the other two, and every day he dreamt about him, more and more was revealed. There was something familiar about the man, or machine, but he didn't know what.

'_I'll consult Master Kenobi about it later. No need to worry him with this knowledge while we're in the middle of a battle._' Anakin thought as he allowed himself to fall into the clutches of sleep.

As usual, his dreams came to him, delivering cryptic messages. As usual in these dreams, a fog clung closely to the ground, and there was a rhythmic breathing and black suite waited for him, staring at the Jedi Knight silently. Anakin tried to speak, as he always did, but found no voice. After several failed attempts at communication, he ceased his efforts, and simply observed the thing before him. The face mask was strong, and fearsome. The chest had a panel of some kind, with blinking lights residing over where his sternum would be. He looked past the creature to find a cape as black as the void of space behind him, flowing as if there were a wind that he did not feel knowing around them. He couldn't find anything else, because of the fog that clung to the ground and prevented Anakin from seeing anything below.

Anakin tried to move, but found his legs unresponsive. He tried his arms, to at least search for his lightsaber, but again, no movement could be made. All that could move was his head and neck, as he looked around for anyone else. As he began to expect in these dreams, he was by himself with this monstrosity.

* * *

><p>7 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 02:08:1919:4 BBY

Separatist Inner Defense Grid, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

After the failed assault, Ventress lead her troops back through the burning forest to their forward defenses. During the walk, she was thinking about the inevitable communiqué Dooku would have with her about the attack, and more importantly, why it failed. He said himself, failure was not an option, and now she found herself on the defeated side.

_'Oh well,'_ she thought when she entered the trench system of her own forces, _'I need to worry about the attack their going to send.'_

While she was milling over the battle strategies that could result in anything even resembling success, her com unit began vibrating. She didn't even need to look who it was, for she already knew. As she pulled the communicator out of her pocket, and placed it in the palm of her hand, she took one glance as the text at the top, indicating who it was from.

_Dooku_.

Ventress pressed the button at the center of the device, and waited for Dooku to appear before her. As his blue image appeared before her, she noticed the apparent dissatisfied look on his face, but he still maintained the aristocratic posture and tone.

"Yes, my lord?" asked Ventress as usual, knowing exactly what he was contacting her about.

"Ventress, I'll give you one last chance to redeem yourself. If you fail to hold the line, or if any allied troops slip through your defenses, you will not survive the day. Do you understand?" Dooku said, his irritation evident in his voice.

"Yes, my lord." Ventress said through gritted teeth.

Who did he think she was. He wouldn't stand a chance in a duel with her. The old man far overestimated his own abilities. If he really thought he could take her on, he had another thing coming. And is he even began thinking that any bounty hunter could stand up to her and succeed, he had another thing coming. Regardless, after her last comment, she severed the connection and went about the task of fortifying her defenses with the troops now available for such a task.

Even with all the uncertainty that surrounded this battle, there was one constant, and that was that a counter-attack was imminent, and her opportunity to release her anger on some Jedi neared.

* * *

><p>7 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 04:35:1119:4 BBY

Archer Forward Operating Base, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

The Pelican dropship hovered above the pad provided for landings of this nature. The pad itself was just some flat ground forming a square surrounded by sandbags and other forms of protection, interrupted periodically to form entryways for those leaving or entering any transports. Awaiting a one of these entryways, two Jedi stood, their robes clung tightly to their forms to provide protection from the cold still assaulting them.

Before the Pelican finally landed, the Jedi on the right, Skywalker, turned to ask to the one to the left, Kenobi, "Are these the same Spartans we met earlier?"

"Yes" was all Kenobi said while he maintained his focus on the Pelican.

Both Jedi were able to make out the dropship, thanks to the lights that hung on its front, below the cockpit, and the spotlights surrounding the landing pad. Its green exterior and utilitarian shape, with the weapon protruding from the space below the cockpit gave the impression that this was a deadly machine, capable of much destruction.

Finally, it touched down upon the ground, the engines on the side of the fixed wings turned themselves off, and the "back door" opened to reveal the same five figures both Jedi remembered from their first encounter.

One of the figures approached them, and said to the two, "Hello General Kenobi, General Skywalker. Omega Team reporting for duty."

"Hello First Sergeant. It's an honor to fight alongside your men." replied Kenobi as the group turned and made their way to the headquarters to be briefed on the details of the mission ahead.

The group made quick time to the tent, and the two Jedi enjoyed the small increase in temperature while the Spartans stood stoically beside them around the table at the center of the tent.

"Anakin, bring up the tactical display." ordered Kenobi while turning to look at his brother-in-arms.

Anakin let out a short sigh, and outstretched his hand to use the Force to turn on the display in question. Obi-Wan shook his head disapprovingly as the previously dark room was awash in bluish light as the tactical display activated to provide a three dimensional representation of the Separatist Base.

Kenobi, after he was done shaking his head, said as he pointed at the structure in front of them, "Alright Omega Team, we are going to infiltrate the Separatist base, find Ventress and Dooku, capture them, and destroy the base. All of our other forces will be focused on distracting them while we embark on this endeavor."

"Will we be trying to capture information about the Separatists war machine, General?" asked Ben as he looked down at the holographic display in front of him.

"If the opportunity presents itself where information can be gathered, then we will take it. But capturing or killing Dooku and Ventress is of greater importance." said Obi-Wan as he looked at the soldier who asked.

"What kind of distraction are we looking at?" asked another one of the Spartans.

Kenobi looked at the holographic display, pressed some buttons on the side of the machine, and began moving his fingers to create various shapes.

"This," he said, while pointing to a large triangle in the middle of where the allied lines were, "is the 212th armor brigade."

"With support from elements of the 105st ODST division, 378th mobile infantry division, and elements of the 501st Legion, they will attack the front and sides of the Confederate positions," he continued, drawing lines moving straight through the Separatists defenses, and some branching in flanking maneuvers to the sides.

"This should draw the attention of most of the defenders, allowing us to more easily slip in through the underground sewage pipeline, and enter from underneath." Kenobi said while drawing a new line, indicating them, going from a previously unnoticed underground path through and ending directly underneath the Confederate headquarters.

"Alright. Final question. When does the attack begin?" asked Ben as he looked up from the display.

"In two hours, the main assault will begin, and we'll sneak in ten minutes after that." responded Kenobi as he turned off the display and returned darkness into the tent.

* * *

><p>7 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 15:32:0919:4 BBY

Chancellor's Suite, Senate Building, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

While large storm clouds hung in the air above the massive city, a dark meeting was taking place in the heart of the Republic. The ornate room, in normal circumstances clad in red and black, had a blue tint as a result of the holographic display that was active on the Chancellor's desk. The almost silent hum of the device, as well as the constant sound of rain drops on the large windows behind him, filled the ears of Chancellor Palpatine, or Darth Sidious as he continued his discussion with the bounty hunter, Cad Bane.

"What do you want, Sidious?" Bane said, vehemently, towards the dark lord before him, gritting his teeth to show his displeasure over the visit.

Normally, he would be more than happy to make another deal with the dark lord, but the last deal he had left him in a bit of a pickle, and the bounty insisted it was the fault of the dark lord that he found himself in the situation that he did.

"Mr. Bane. Please. I wish to make another agreement with you, and this one will be far more favorable for you." Sidious said, in return, feigning sincerity while still, somehow, maintaining his evil, dark tone.

"No deal Sidious. Last time, you cost me something very valuable. That _poodoo_ ain't flying again!"

"This is a very simple mission, and it has quite the reward." Sidious said, this time in an enticing manner.

Bane thought this over for brief minute, then said, "What type of reward are we talking about here?"

"Seventy-five thousand credits, and all you have to do is trail behind Count Dooku's main vessel and pick up a body left in the vacuum of space. No questions asked."

Bane's eyes practically leapt out of his head after the mention of the credit's being offered. Upon hearing the simplicity of the mission, he had to fight the urge to jump in the air out of the sheer happiness of the proposal. Instead, he maintained his calm demeanor, and looked on towards the hooded figure before him.

"Deal. But if anything goes south, no more agreements between us. Alright." Bane said in a monotone manner, trying to reign in his giddy emotions at the prospect of so much of a profit.

While Bane's mind was preoccupied with what he would spend the money on first, Sidious continued, "Failure is not an option Mr. Bane. This body needs to be picked up as soon as possible, then you are to take it to the closest medical facility to be immersed in a bacta tank for an extended period of time. After I arrive to make sure the mission was a success, you will be paid in full. Understood?"

"Alright," Bane said, "When should I go out, looking for Dooku's ship?"

"I'll alert you when you are to depart, Mr. Bane. Until then, remain ready."

With that, the connection was severed, and the lights of the suite returned to their former glory, illuminating the entire room in light. Palpatine made quick work of his Sith robe, and went back to his previous duties as Supreme Chancellor of the soon-to-be-nonexistent Republic. While going about this task, he let out a small, almost imperceptible grin to form on his mouth. His plan was coming along quite nicely.

**Alright. The final attack, infiltration, and several duels, will transpire in the last part of **_**Baptism of Fire**_**. Also, the tanks finally come into action. Depending on the size of the engagement, the overall chapter will be extended to four, but this is uncertain at the moment. Until then...**


	8. Chapter 7: Baptism of Fire, Part III

Chapter 7: Baptism of Fire, Part III

7 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 06:19:45/19:4 BBY

Reclaimer Forward Operating Base, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

Just as the local system's star peeked above the horizon, casting long shadows out of the smallest of objects, the F.O.B. was abuzz with life. The now distant fires from the bombing from the night before was long gone, either out of fuel or searching for new sources of vegetation to burn. The clouds overhead were few and far between, but it allowed for full, unobstructed view of the countryside beyond. This left behind an almost barren landscape, where the burnt remains of trees and brush made what was once a vibrant forest into a charred plain.

Luckily for the soon-to-be attackers, that plain was just perfect for their armored assault.

"General, the tanks are up and ready. The attack can begin whenever you're ready." said one of the clone commanders to General Windu, who himself was standing atop a small ridge just beyond the perimeter to observe the surrounding area in seclusion.

Windu turned his attention from the hillside below to the white-clad soldier before him, and replied, "Excellent commander. Inform General Kenobi we'll be ready whenever he is."

"Yes sir." replied the dutiful clone commander as he descended down the hill and back to the base.

Windu returned his attention back to the landscape before him. The blackened land and charred remains of the trees caused great grief within the Jedi Master. He dove his consciousness into the Living Force, and felt the loss of life. Felt the lack of living beings existing in commune with the Force, which bound them together. All that was left was a faint residue caused by their existence not hours ago. He couldn't help but wonder if all of this destruction of life was necessary for the greater victory. Did these ends justify the means?

XXX

Archer Forward Operating Base, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

"General Kenobi, we just received word from all other F.O.B.'s that their ready and waiting for the attack." said a clone commander as he neared the Jedi General.

Ob-Wan, who had spent the past two hours in meditation for this mission, opened one of his eyes to look at the clone commander.

The General let out a short sigh, and said, "Alright. Spread the word that the attack begins in exactly ten minutes."

"Yes sir." the commander replied as he turned around and left the tent Kenobi was in, leaving the Master Jedi alone, again.

Obi-Wan let out another short sigh, slowly stood up from his position on the floor, and walked out of the tent to find his former padawan and the Spartan team assigned to them. The trip was relatively short, largely because he only had to follow the sound of an ignited lightsaber and energy sword. He turned a corner to find a large crowd of clones and Coalition infantrymen circled around something, Kenobi then heard the tell-tale sound of two swords clashing, with the faint smell of ozone nearby, and quickly knew exactly what was happening.

Once he made his way through the crowd, he saw his former padawan and one of the Spartans, Greg-905, stuck, their swords locked in static positions in front of them. Kenobi read extensively about the energy swords the Coalition used, and found their design both elegant and deadly, but still no match for a lightsaber. He thought that even with these Spartan's reflexes, they wouldn't stand a chance against a Jedi, especially one as proficient as Anakin or himself. Now he saw his arrogance was unfounded, and gained a new appreciation of the Spartans.

"A draw?" the Spartans said, his golden visor reflecting the determined countenance of Anakin, their blades still locked in position in front of them.

"A draw." Anakin replied as he released his pressure on the opposing weapon and pressed down on the ignition button on the side of his saber, retracting the blade, and sent it back to its place on his belt.

The Spartan, in turn, deactivated the energy sword and placed it on the magnetic clamps on the side of his thigh for use later, and shook Anakin's hand once it was extended. Anakin let a small grin to form as he shook the hand, taking note of the strong grip the Spartan had on his mechanical hand. He then turned to see Kenobi, his arms crossed across his chest as he looked at Anakin, his face showing no emotion.

The grin on his face was gone almost instantly once Kenobi said, "It's time. Greg, round up the rest of your team, and tell them to meet us on the north entryway.

"Yes sir, General." replied Greg as he nodded his head, turned foot, and jogged away to notify the rest of his squad.

Almost at once, the rest of the men assembled to watch the impromptu sparring match left to attend to their individual tasks. Kenobi walked over to his former padawan, placed his hand on the young man's shoulder, and guided him along to their destination.

The two walked through the base in silence, observing the soldiers of varying size and species go about their duties in preparation for the impending assault. It took the pair five minutes to reach the north entryway, and soon found themselves alone just beyond the perimeter of the base.

The two Jedi stood amongst the burnt remains of the forest, staring out at the carnage of the previous night's bombing run. Anakin leaned against the charred remains of a tree bent against another, were as Kenobi knelt down to sift his hands though the blackened earth below. Anakin observed his former master doing this task, and shook his head.

"You know," Anakin began, lifting himself off the of the burnt tree and walking towards his former master, "it's kinda pointless to sift through the burnt earth looking for life where there is none to find."

"Maybe, my former padawan, but only if there is not life to be found." Kenobi said in return as he stood and turned to face Anakin with a grin on his face.

Anakin, perplexed, looked down at Kenobi's hands, which were clasped around something, and looked in to see a small, untouched seed in his hands.

Kenobi turned back around, and said, "Just as it only takes a spark to destroy a forest, it only takes one seed to regrow one."

With that, he knelt back down and pushed aside the top layer of burnt earth, finding a suitable place to put the small seed, and buried it just below the surface of the brown dirt, giving it a little covering and keeping the blackened ground away from it. Anakin allowed his own grin to form, and waited for Kenobi to stand back up and brush off the dirt from his dirtied attire.

Once Obi-Wan was done dusting himself off, Anakin said, "I didn't know the Negotiator was such an avid fan of gardening."

"And I didn't know the Hero With No Fear was such an avid fan of running laps around the base." Kenobi replied with his own grin, now quite evident through the layer of facial hair.

Anakin's smile immediately left, and he calmly said, "I'm not your padawan anymore. I don't have to follow those types of orders."

Kenobi let out a short chuckle before saying, "As long as you call me _Master_, you're my padawan, and you'd still do it if I asked it of you regardless of titles."

Anakin rolled his eyes and said, "Only if you asked nicely."

While Kenobi was laughing at that last statement, the sound of heavy boots on dirt was heard close by, and the pair turned to see the five Spartans walking towards them, their weapons held across their chests and helmets held high. Once the group was assembled, the Spartans saluted the two men before them.

Once the two Jedi saluted back, Ben, who was at the center of the group of Spartans, said, "Sirs, may I ask when we begin?"

"Of course Ben" Kenobi said while Anakin took a step back, "We'll leave in a minute."

He then continued while turning and pointing north-east, "The sewage pipeline ends over there about half a kilometer away."

He then turned back to the group, "As you all remember, we go through there, travel down the straight pipe for about two kilometers, then climb up the access hatch, right inside their base."

After Obi-Wan was done, the group began moving in that direction, with Kenobi and Ben at the lead, and Anakin walking with the rest of the squad of Spartans.

Anakin then turned to one of them, and said silently, a small grin on his face, "I hope those helmets have a scent filtration system."

* * *

><p>April 7 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 06:57:2319:4 BBY

Sector 68-G, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

"Thunder 2 to Thunder Actual, we are en route to objective Alpha, over." reported the tank commander as his tank rode over the crest of a green hill with four other Scorpions tanks to their objective, the Confederate shield generator.

"Thunder Actual to Thunder 2, you are a go. Good hunting."

With that, the tank squadron increased its speed and moved up another tree covered hill. The Scorpions easily flattened the trees, which didn't stand a chance against the 70 metric tons of sheer "divine" power as some would say. Once the group of tanks was at the crest of the hill, they were with a view of their target, not a half a kilometer away.

Defending the shield generator was a group of ten Armored Assault Tanks, two Heavy Artillery Guns, and fifteen Ground Armored Tanks. Along with this armor, three separate trench lines, staffed with innumerable troops of various classes waited for an attack. They were prepared, but apparently not enough.

Commanding the squadron of tanks was Staff Sergeant Jacobs Donnelly, a 1.8 meter, 24 year old white man. He had a relatively pale complexion, not too uncommon for the people from his home planet of Gangis-5. What was also quite visible was a scar, running along his right cheek and stopping right above his jaw bone. Half the scar was hidden under a rugged beard he sported, and the rest looked benign, but the story behind was not, supposedly. He told few people about how he got it, and those he did tell either weren't talkative or knew not to tell a soul. He always seemed to carry himself with swagger, and felt unbeatable when in his beloved Scorpion. He sported massive hands, both of which almost completely encompassed the handles for the tank he was driving. His military issued boots hung just over the metal floor of his vehicle, with the only thing dividing the two being the pedals of the tank itself.

"Donnelly, this is going to be a walk in the park." said one of the tank commanders to the squadron leader, who commanded them at the center of their formation of five.

"Damn right." he replied as he moved his hands over the display and aimed his gun at one of the mortar tanks.

"Alright men, we fire in 3..." he began, looking at the display in front of him, which gave an image of a crosshair over his target.

"2..." he continued, still maintaining his gaze on the tank he was going to obliterate.

"1..." he said, now momentarily averting his attention to the small picture on the corner of the display, of a small child, no more than three years old, and a brunet woman holding the child on her lap, a wide smile on both their faces.

"Fire!" He finished, now pulling on the trigger on the right handle controlling his tank.

With that, the 110 mm. Tungsten armor piercing ballistic capped round, was fired at the speed of sound towards it target. Before the hostile tank could ever register that it was threatened, the shell broke through the relatively weak armor, and penetrated into the tank, exploding inside and engulfing it in flames. What was once a complete body was not hundreds, if not thousands, of different pieces moving at speeds that would sever limbs from anyone in their way. A considerable number of droids nearby suffered that fate.

Simultaneously, the rest of the squadron fired at their own targets, sending the other mortar tank, two AAT's, and a GAT into oblivion, all with similar results as the original.

"Fire at will!" Donnelly ordered to his comrades as he locked on with another target.

By now, the rest of the defenders noticed the attack, and began moving out to engage. Their repulsorlift engines lifting them off the ground and allowing them to move at relatively quick speed to their targets. Donnelly noticed a group of four AAT's moving from the left flank to attack from the side, and he turned his turret to face them. In rapid succession, he fired on the moving threats, and all his shots were true, as they made contact with the droid tanks and converted them to scrap metal. What he didn't notice was another group of tanks, consisting of two AAT's and four GAT's moving in to attack him from the front.

He looked down at the radar display on his monitor, to see that group of tanks enter within 100 meters of his tank. He turned his turret, and began firing on this new threat. Before he even got one shot off, they began firing on him. Most of their shots landed around his tanks, sending giant plums of dirt and debris into the air from the force of the impact. He first fired on the closest AAT, and destroyed it with a thunderous explosion. The other AAT in the group, though, succeeded in hitting Donnelly's forwards shields, bringing them down to 80%. He reacted quickly, though, and his shot hit dead center on the bulbous portion of the forward section of the tank. A microsecond later, the tank was torn apart front an internal explosion, as the round detonated inside. Donnelly made a note of it that the former turret landed on top of an advancing group of droidekas and crushed them under the new weight.

With the two main battle tanks out of commission, he focus on the four light tanks. They successfully made contact with his shields several times, and by the time he took out one of their own, his shields were down to 30%, and dropping quickly. Donnelly made another note of it that once the droid hit their target, they seldom missed if it remained stationary. Regardless, he locked on with another one of the GAT's and hit it while it was moving to the right. The ensuing explosion sent shards of tank into the nearby countryside, and the explosion engulfed several battle droids as they neared his squadron. As he swiveled his turret to lock onto the other two opponents, he noticed the burning remains of tanks where the two adversaries were just seconds ago.

"Donnelly," began one of the other tank commanders, "You can pay me back with a drink when we get back."

"Fair enough." was Donnelly's reply as he moved his tank forward to charge at the droid defenders.

By now, the other tanks in his squadron obliterated the defending tanks with no loses of their own, and began engaging the droid infantry with their hood mounted MG turrets. The soldiers, safely below the armor and shields, began firing on the droids before them with brutal efficiency. All the tanks moved past the first layer of trenches easily enough, and were well within range to engage the shield generator.

"Thunder 2, open fire on the Shield generator now!" ordered Donnelly as he aimed for, what he thought, was the weakest point in the structure.

At once, the tanks fired on their target, but once the dust settles, the structure stood firm. Surprisingly enough, the building was made of a tougher element than the tanks before, and it was much thicker in armor than their previous enemies. While the MG turrets continued to ward off the infantry from getting too close to the tanks, Donnelly thought of a way to eliminate the shield generator quickly.

"Move to the side of the structure and fire on it from there." he ordered as he turned his tanks to the right and began moving parallel with the building.

The rest of his men did the same, and soon, they were on the sides of the building. At once, they fired again, and again, as their shots failed to go through. Nevertheless, they were persistent, and within four shots, they began piercing the thick walls of the structure and their shells exploded inside. In a blinding flash, the shield generator was engulfed in a massive ball of fire and energy. Were it not for the 200 meters that separated the tanks from the structure, they all would have been caught in the explosion. Numerous droid defenders were not so lucky.

Once the shield generator was offline, the group of tanks spread out and began mopping up the remainder of the droid defenders, most of whom had already left the trenches to look for another position to defend.

"Thunder 2 to Command. Objective Alpha is offline. Over." Donnelly said over the communications device.

"Command to all units. Proceed to objectives. Out."

XXX

Sector 70-H, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

"Command to all units. Proceed to objectives. Out."

"Well you heard em' boys. Misfit, move out." Bill said to his nearby squad mates as they ascended the nearby hilltop.

Once the squad reached the top of the hill, they found themselves not 100 meters from the outer defenses of the Separatists. Before them on the next hill over, stood two pairs of Anti-aircraft guns. Their objective was to destroy both of the AA guns, to allow air support to enter the fray. Defending the two pairs of AA guns, though, was a company's worth of droids of various sizes, all waiting to engage the enemy in either a series of trenches or above ground walls.

All the ODST's knelt down beside their corporal, and waited for his orders. Richard, while waiting, looked through the scope of his BR and observed the enemy.

While Richard was looking at the enemy, Bill said to the squad, "We can't go around, and we can't turn around. So our only option is forward. We strike together, move from cover to cover, and kick some droid ass!"

Once he was done with his little speech, he looked around to each of him men, and they all nodded once his gaze was upon them. Deciding there wasn't a better time to act, he stood up and faced the droids, who were still completely oblivious to the enemies not a hundred meters away.

At once, Bill charged forward, and began firing on the exposed droids before him. It took the enemy several seconds to realize they were under attack, but by then, four droids were on the ground, full of bullet holes and raining sparks.

As if on cue, the rest of the squad did the same, and charged forward into the fray with their commander. Richard and Fred were the last to enter the cover, in this case a series of trees, and lost 20% of their shields as a result of the plasma fire from the defenders. The squad waited behind the cover the trees provided for them, as the numerous plasma bolts continued to rain down on their position. By now, Richard had become accustomed to the sight of dirt flying into the air from the impact, or bark being stripped from trees because of the plasma's devastating effect on that particular lifeform. The sickening sound of the plasma hitting these objects, though, still unsettled him.

Richard slowed his breathing, closed his eyes, and waited for the right moment. Shortly thereafter, the rate of fire from the plasma being fired on them slowed slightly. That was his cue, and he popped out of cover, marked his targets, and began firing on a squad of droids as they moved out of cover to get a better shot on their enemies. With seven controlled bursts from his rifle, all the droids were dead on the ground, their previously clear, unscathed bodies now harboring large holes where bullets entered and exited, tearing apart their circuitry and rendering them immobile.

Richard knew his time was limited, and quickly found another group, this time commanded by a pair of Super Battle Droids. He began firing, aiming his shots at the "head" of the blue armored devils. The droid he was firing on quickly lost its frontal plating from the bullets, and soon its internal circuitry was devastated by the ballistic rounds. It slumped to the ground, and fell forward, and accidentally fired on of its arm mounted guns at a nearby droid, decommissioning it as well.

Richard soon averted his attention on the other Super Battle Droid, and soon, it met the same fate as its fallen brother. As he moved his sight to look for the remaining Battle Droids, he noticed Fred also firing on the squad, and together, they made short work of the attackers. By now, though, the plasma fire aimed at his tree increased exponentially, and he was forced behind cover as some of the bolts hit his shields and depleted them to 50%.

As his shields started returning to him, he looked out briefly to see the progress his squad was making, and noticed the two squads that were sent after them before was replaced by four. At this rate, they would be overwhelmed in no time.

Without hesitation, Richard pulled out one of his two EMP grenades, and lobbed it overhead at the closest droid squad. It landed between the feet of a Super Battle Droid, and as it looked down at the peculiar object, it detonated. As soon as the EMP was sent out, the squad fell over, their electronics fried completely. Richard looked on, and found some of his squad mates doing the same. Within seconds, the advancing droids were deactivated.

As soon as the closest threats were dealt with, Bill, Zach, and Don advanced to the next set of cover, the wall the Confederates were using just moments before and Richard and Fred both provided covering fire for them. The droids moved back behind their own cover as Richard and Fred sent a number of them down under the hail of bullets the pair sent their way. Once the three were safely behind the wall, they all popped out of cover, and fired on the cowering droids, allowing Fred and Richard to advance themselves to the wall.

Richard and Fred sprinted the 30 meters to the wall, moving as fast as their legs would carry them. As they advanced, the droids began firing with more intensity on the three soldiers behind the wall, and used the opportunity to fire on the two exposed soldiers. One of their MG nests, which was hidden and to the right of their position, began firing on the pair as they closed the distance. The shots hit the ground around them, sending great plums of dirt into the air, and covering their armor in it. But, the droid manning the gun was not accurate enough, and soon, the two were safely behind cover, panting heavily after their last ordeal.

"Zach. Can you get a grenade in that MG nest?" asked Bill as he returned behind cover and looked at the ODST he was addressing.

"Sir, I'm insulted that you even need to ask." he replied as he pulled out a fragmentation grenade and pulled the pin, but held down the lever on the side.

He waited like that, until the fire from the MG died down. Once it was clear, he popped out of cover, and lobbed the grenade at the position in question. The four droids in the MG nest looked, almost awestruck, as the small, round object fell from the sky above and landed between their feet. They looked at the grey sphere, and then at each other, questioning each other what exactly it was. Before any of them could come up with any hypothesis, the grenade exploded, and destroyed the support beams holding up the MG nest. The roof caved in, and soon the position was replaced with dirt, debris, and a black smoke that hung in the air.

Using this as their moment, the squad ran toward the trenches another 30 some odd meters in front of them. The ODST's continued to fire from the hip, and were still deadly accurate as droid after droid was perforated with bullet holes or decapitated. Halfway there, the droids were able to lock on to the moving targets, and soon fired on them. Richard, seeing nothing else to do, pulled out another one of his EMP grenades, and lobbed it at a group of droids huddling in a nearby trench. The Battle droids didn't even notice as they continued to fire, but were soon defeated as the invisible wave of electro-magnetic energy, emanating from the small device between their feet, activated itself.

The ODST's covered the last stretch in record time, and waited momentarily to catch their breath and allow their shields to recharge. Richard looked over the cover the trench provided momentarily to see how far away they were form the AA guns they were supposed to destroy. They were not more than 40 meters from their designated targets, but the remaining droid forces were concentrated around them. Before Richard could observe any more, the droids nearby began firing on him again, and he was forced back down under as dirt rained down on him and his squad mates.

"Sir, they got the guns surrounded. The only way we punch through and take out our objective is if we kill em' all." Richard said over the constant sound of plasma bolts being fired and hitting the ground around them.

"Men, how many EMP's we got left?" Bill said as he popped out of cover momentarily to verify the report.

Once he returned to the relative safety of the trench, his men held out their EMP grenades if they still had any. He counted five.

"Alright," he began, "Zach, you use your remaining two EMP's against the droids at this pair of AA guns." he continued while looking at Zach.

He then continued, while turning to look at Don and Fred, "You two, save your three for the next pair. Alright."

They all nodded their heads in agreement, and waited for his order to attack. Bill picked up one of his hands, with three fingers outstretched, and counted don from three to one using them. Once his hand made a fist again, he returned it to the underbelly of his rifle, picked himself out of cover, and began firing on the droids defending the AA guns. Their commander was soon joined by every other member of the squad, as all but Zach fired on any enemy that they could see. Zach lobbed one grenade after another at the droids, then joined them for some seconds on firing on other droids spread throughout the compound.

After finishing off the last of his handful of targets, Zach returned behind cover again, and tapped Bill's shoulder. With that, Bill and the rest of Misfit 1-3 returned from cover, and waited for the grenades to go off. Within seconds, the hostile's rate of fire decreased dramatically, and all of ODST's looked out of cover to see the group of droids immediately around their objective laying on the ground, effectively dead.

Bill then looked back at his squad, pointed at Fred an Richard, and motioned for them to move up to the AA guns while the rest of the squad remained in the trench providing them covering fire. The two soldiers practically jumped out of the trench, and sprinted to the AA guns while their squad mates popped out of cover and fired on the remaining droids, who were spread out over the nearby area. With the droids incapacitated, the pair made it to the AA guns easily enough, and placed their demolitions charges on the base of the turrets.

Once the explosive charges were firmly in place, the two made a bee line for the nearest cover, a small wall not twenty meters away, and dove behind it. Once safely behind the wall, they both pulled out their detonators, and pressed down on the red button at the top. Instantly, the charges exploded in a giant, fiery display of destruction, and engulfed both AA guns in their brilliant explosions. The shock wave penetrated the small wall the two were using, and sent both of them flying back at least five meters before landing with a loud _thud_ on the ground, causing them to roll several times before they could stop themselves.

Once they were done rolling, they looked up at the place where the AA guns used to reside. Instead of the two towering turrets, there was now two giant plumes of smoke, with dirt and debris still falling from the sky.

With one set of AA guns eliminated, the two ODST's rolled into a prone position, and began laying down covering fire as the remaining three advanced out of the trench and moved to join their comrades. Once they were all assembled again, they advanced forward towards the wall Fred and Richard were using not moments earlier, while still under relatively light enemy fire.

Once all of the ODST's were behind the wall, they waited for the shields to recharge before advancing, and continued to fire upon the diminished forces defending the remaining AA gun. Once their shields were back to nominal levels, they all jumped over the wall they were using for cover, and continued to advance while still firing on the droid defenders.

They moved at a slow pace, taking their time to aim at any hostiles, and sent enemies down one at a time. It took the squad five minutes to get within throwing range of the AA gun, and once within range, they all knelt down and waited for the two to ready their grenades while firing on the droids. Soon, Don and Fred stood up from their crouched position, and threw their EMP grenades on the droids around the AA gun. Within seconds, the grenades went off, and the droid defenders were out of commission.

With only a handful of enemies left, Fred and Richard quickly made their way to the AA gun without difficulty, and set their charges much the same way they did before. Once again, once the plastic explosives were set, the squad ran in the other direction, and all took cover in a trench some thirty meters away. Yet again, the pair pulled out their detonators, and pressed on the red button at their top simultaneously, creating several massive explosion and obliterating the AA guns entirely.

The shock wave created shook the squad less, largely because of the greater distance, and only a nominal amount of dirt was sent into the air and landed on them.

While the squad was staring at the black plumes of smoke, Bill placed his right hand to his respective ear piece, and said into the communications device there, "Command, this is Misfit 1-3, objective Echo secured, over."

"Copy that Misfit 1-3. You are to move to Sector 71-G, and assist Camper 3 in breaking through the Separatists Main Defense Perimeter. I repeat, move to Sector 70-G and assist Camper 3, over."

"Roger that, Command, out." replied Bill as he placed his hand back on his rifle and looked back at his men.

"Alright Misfit, saddle up. We're going to help the Marines break through the main defense perimeter, and show those jarheads how it's done. Understood?" he continued while helping himself out of the trench they were in and moving in the direction of the third platoon of Camper Company.

"Yes sir." all the other ODST's replied as they joined their commander out of the trench, and jogged with him to their new objective.

XXX

Sector 68-F, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

After the destruction of the shield generator, Thunder 2 advanced with Thunder 3 and Thunder 5 to their new objective, the Separatists main defense perimeter. What the three squadrons of tanks didn't consider, though, was that they were driving into a trap.

While Donnelly's tank drove another patch of trees on their way to the Separatists main defense perimeter, he noticed on the radar, a large mass of moving objects, all fitting the description of Confederate tanks.

"Look out boys, we got company. One hundred meters west. At least thirty hostile tanks." he said over the communications device as he worked to turn his tank to the right to face the oncoming enemy.

Likewise, the rest of the fifteen tanks did the same, facing the oncoming enemies, and they all rolled their tanks up to the top of a nearby hill to gain the height advantage. Once most of them were atop of ridge, they looked out at the formation of tanks. Assembled into a wedge, thirty AAT's were rushing to attack them. Wasting no time for orders, they all lined up their turrets for fire, and shot at once at the enemy. Almost all of them hit dead center, sending burning wreckage high into the air and landing amongst the trees and bush.

While the tank squadrons were firing on the advancing enemy, another group of Confederate tanks were moving forward on the Coalition forces rear.

After firing another salvo at the onrushing AAT's he heard an all too familiar beeping from his radar, and looked to see another group of hostiles moving forward on their rear. Without hesitation, he turned his tank around while moving his turret to face the new enemy, and began firing on the nearest AAT's. Others in his immediate vicinity took note of his movements, and looked to see the same hostiles advancing on their rears. Half of the Coalition forces turned, and divided their attention amongst the new threats while the others were being finished up.

While facing all the tanks the Confederates threw at them, the Coalition forces failed to notice the giant plumes of dust coming in from the horizon in their direction. Said plumes were the result of the group of ten Hailfire droids moving in to attack the Coalition.

Then, once only a scant 300 meters away, the droids began firing their rockets at the unsuspecting Coalition tanks. The missiles spiraled around in the air, and the purple fire that gave them flight made them visible for kilometers around. Once they hit ground, they exploded violently, and practically picked up the earth and sent it flying into the air.

While the missiles continued to fall, the AAT's pressed their assault, and their constant barrage allowed for the shielding previously protecting the Scorpions to fall. Without their protection, the AAT's cannon fire penetrated the hull, and created massive fireballs out of the Scorpion that once occupied the same space.

"Fall back! I repeat, fall back!" Donnelly yelled into the com unit while turning his tank around and driving it through the gap in the lines the AAT's formed.

As ordered, the rest of the Scorpions moved as fast as their motors would allow, and escaped through the gaps in the AAT's line. While moving, most of them continued to fire on the enemy, and destroyed a half dozen Confederate tanks before escaping with Donnelly. While moving through the trees, being chased by the AAT's, the Scorpions still found themselves being fired on by the Hailfire droids, and explosions continued to go off around them, but never close enough to deplete their already wavering shields.

While they continued their run, Donnelly said into the com unit, "Command, this is Thunder 2 Actual, we need immediate assistance. Being trailed by thirty hostile tanks and under constant fie from Hailfires, over."

After a short pause, Donnelly heard in his com unit, "Thunder 2 Actual, VTOL's en route to your position. ETA, 5 minutes, out."

XXX

Sector 69-F, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

"Jaybird 4 Actual, this is Command. New objective. Move to Sector 68-F, and assist Thunder's 2, 3 and 5. How copy, over?"

Sergeant Gibson, 1.9 meters tall, 22 years old, commanded Jaybird 4, a squadron of five Hornets. He had proven himself in basic when he beat the record in the simulator and destroyed all enemy tanks in twenty-eight seconds. He quickly ascended, and found himself in command of a squadron in a matter of weeks after leaving basic. He had a tan complexion, as is to be expected for someone from Yule-3. His face was rugged, a physical manifestation of his outdoor life from back home. Most were so distracted by his looks that they failed to notice his relatively small hands, which, whenever his hands sat atop each other on the yoke of his craft, barely covered three-fourths of it.

Gibson placed his hand to his ear, and said into the com unit, "Roger that command. Jaybird 4 is en route to Thunder's position, ETA five minutes."

After that, Gibson changed the frequency, and said to his squadron, "Alright Jaybird 4, we are gonna go help some wayward tanks, and blow some shit up on the way. Adjust course negative thirty-two degrees and follow my lead."

After the usual rounds of "yes sir", the squadron changed its course and made its way to the tank squadron in trouble. It took a little less than two minutes for the Hornet squadron to locate the developing battle between the tank forces by spotting the purple hued exhaust from the Confederate missiles and the high reaching explosions.

Using the explosions as more motivation, Gibson pressed down on the yoke as far as he could, and pushed his Hornet to the breaking point, trying to get every last kilometer per hour out of it. The rest of his squadron did the same, and they were hovering over the Scorpions in a matter of two minutes.

Wasting no time for introductions, Gibson turned his Hornet around until he was facing a group of five AAT's that were advancing straight towards the Scorpions. Gibson checked the display in front of him to make sure his crosshair was over the lead AAT, and pressed down on the red button. At once, purple tinted bolts of fiery plasma were released from his plasma cannon mounted under the cockpit. It only took nanoseconds for the continuous bolts to reach their target, and after only four shots, the super-heated matter penetrated the relatively weak armor and exploded inside, engulfing the fearsome tank in flames and turning its once proud hull into charred scrap metal.

The rest of his five-man squadron did the same for the other four tanks, and within seconds of each other, they all met a similar fate. Again, wasting no time, Gibson pushed forward on the yoke, and moved his craft forward on his hunt for the rest of the AAT's. The rest of his squadron took the cue, and split up to find them.

Gibson, after spending only thirty seconds apart from his squadron, found another group of five AAT's. He opened up on them like he did before, and destroyed two of them before they could retaliate. The remaining three, feeling undaunted, angled their cannons upward in the direction of the areal unit attacking them, and fired. Gibson was a skilled pilot, though, and moved his Hornet around the shots that came in his direction while still firing on the stationary targets. It only took another ten seconds for Gibson to successfully obliterate the rest of the AAT's, and move on to his next targets.

While moving around, he noticed the missiles fired from the Hailfires continue, as if they had an unlimited supply of their ordinance. Feeling that they were of more importance than the AAT's, he turned his craft slightly to the left, and followed the smoke streaks back to their origins.

Constantly changing the angle of his craft to compensate for the speed of the wheel droids, he was able to intercept them in a matter of moments. Knowing they were moving too fast for him to destroy with his rotary plasma turret, he changed the ordinance used to the wing-mounted missiles. While locking onto his targets with individual missiles, he continued to push his Hornet forward to keep up with the deadly droids.

Once all the droids were marked for destruction, he pushed the covering for the previously hidden button off, and pressed down on the thing. Ten missiles immediately left their missile pods, and traveled close to the speed of sound to their individual targets. The droids, sensing that their destruction was imminent, moved as fast as their giant wheels would carry them. But that wasn't fast enough, and one by one, the missiles met their targets and engulfed the droid in deadly balls of fire. The destroyed droids would be dismembered, their wheels flying off in various directions, pushed by the laws of motion instead of electrical impulses, and the central processors that had connected the droids together were vaporized.

With the Hailfires out of the way, Gibson said into the com unit to his squadron, "How's the huntin', boys?"

"I'm doing great out here, boss."

"Not an AAT left in my sector."

"Can't see any bucket heads roaming around here, Sarge."

"Just took out the last one."

"Command to Jaybird 4 Actual, how's the hunting, over?"

"All hostiles eliminated, sir. Over" replied Gibson while he positioned his Hornet to face the direction of the Scorpion tanks he just finished defending.

"Good job. We need you to move one click north and assist out forces breaking through the Confederate lines. How copy, over?"

"Wilco, Command. Out."

XXX

Underground Sewage Network, Separatists Inner Defense Grid, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

Ten meters below ground, while a massive battle was playing out on the surface, seven darkened, dripping figures walked onto the only dry piece of land in the underground sewage network. Once the last one of the figures, one of the taller, armored and silent one, walked onto the slab of duracrete, everyone in the group looked up at the ladder that lead to the surface.

One of the shorter figures who lacked any armor to speak of said, in a sarcastic voice, "I think I'm going to miss the Force-awful smell of this cesspool of misery."

"I'm inclined to agree with you my friend." the older looking, bearded, figure said to his younger counterpart.

The other five figured remained silent as they watched the two robed persons ascend up the ladder and lift up the covering slightly to see around the inner compound they were to infiltrate. The dark-blonde haired person, as soon as the cover was lifted up to reveal a control room teeming with droids, moved his hand down to his belt to grab his trusty metal cylinder. The other one, though, stopped him by grabbing his arm half-way through, and shook his head. He then placed that hand to his belt, opened a compartment, and pulled out a handful of small, metal spheres. He then placed the spheres on the ground before them, and gently pushed them away with the Force.

Once the balls were safe distance from them, they both quickly descended the ladder and looked up, waiting for something. That something came in the form of a massive explosion that rocked the ground and shook the figures up considerably, sending small, loose bits of duracrete falling around them, before it stopped as suddenly as it started.

The older man placed his hands on the ladder before his younger friend, looked at him, and said, "You know Anakin, there are often alternatives to going in, guns-a-blazing."

"This may be true," Anakin said before turning to face his old mentor, "but they're seldom as fun."

Obi-Wan shook his head as he ascended the ladder, then said while still looking up, "You know, I wonder if you ever listened to anything I tried to teach you."

"I listened, Master," Anakin said with mock anguish, before turning his frown into a devilish smile, "but that doesn't mean I took it to heart."

"I can tell." Obi-Wan replied as he lifted up the covering.

He pushed the covering aside, and blinked several times to allow his eyes to adjust to the new source of light from the roof that was blown out from the explosion. He soon pulled himself up and out of the sewer system, and helped the others as they, too, ascended the ladder. Once everyone was in the charred remains of the control room, the Spartans pulled their weapons up and searched the room for survivors.

Anakin walked up to Obi-Wan, once he was done placing the cover back on top of the ladder shaft they just entered through, and said, "So, where exactly are we, Master?"

Kenobi, in turn, pulled out a small, flat, and round silver device, pressed on a previously unseen button, resulting in a blue, holographic representation of the structure they were in, forming. At the bottom level, there was a noticeable blinking yellow light.

Kenobi pointed to the yellow light, and said, "That's where we are," before pointing in another room, on the far side of the building, "and that's where we suspect Dooku is."

"Well let's move out, then." Anakin said confidently as Obi-Wan deactivated the display and placed the device back in one of his belt's compartments.

Without hesitation, both the Jedi began walking towards a door on the far side of the room they were in, with the Spartans right behind them, still scanning the room. Once they were within a meter of the door, they noticed that it wouldn't open, and knew immediately it was either locked because of the explosion or jammed. Wasting no time to find out which it was, Anakin placed his hand on Kenobi's chest and pushed him back gently. With his old mentor out of the way, Anakin rubbed his hands together, garnering a curious look from Kenobi, before placing one hand out and pushing with the Force. At first, the door didn't budge, so Anakin resolved to push much harder. He attempted again, and the door, with this new force driving it, was pushed out completely and sent flying down the hallway, crushing a number of droids who were on their way to assess the damage in the destroyed room.

At once, the two Jedi pulled out their lightsabers and ignited them as the droids pulled their own rifles up to fire on the group. Before either side could begin, through, the Spartan s opened up on the droids. The Spartans immediately, by reflexes alone, leveled their weapons on the droids, and laid down continuous fire on the hostiles, destroying them all before the robotic defenders could retaliate.

The two Jedi looked back, pure awe evident in their facial features, as the Spartans lowered their weapons and walked, casually, passed the two and onto their objectives. The two then looked back at each other, and quickly ran to catch up with the Spartans, who had just rounded a corner and were well on their way to what was believed to be Dooku's location.

Five minutes after entering the first room, the group came across a hallway branching off from the path they were taking, before Ben stopped in his tracks and faced the hallway. The rest of the group stopped as well, and looked down the well-light hallway with their comrade, looking for whatever he saw.

Anakin, growing tired of looking down an empty hall, looked at Ben, and asked, "What exactly caused you to stop here?"

"Francis." Ben replied, now taking a few, tentative steps forward, "He says this is where the Separatists are keeping their tactical information. He also says it's likely that this area is heavily defended."

Anakin quickly gripped Ben's shoulder before he took another step, and said to the Spartan, "We don't have time to go rummaging through tactical information. Dooku no doubt heard that explosion, and is well on his way to escaping."

With that, Ben turned to look at the Jedi through his golden visor, and said, "You're right. _You _don't have time. Us Spartans, do."

Before Anakin could protest, Obi-Wan nodded his head, and allowed the Spartan to break off and move down the hallway, looking through every doorway for their new objective while he practically pulled Anakin away and directed him back to their objective.

While jogging through the complex, Anakin said, "I don't see why we couldn't take them with us. They would be badly needed to apprehend Dooku."

"It's because we can take on Dooku without them, and they need that tactical information, before this whole compound gets destroyed." was Kenobi's reply as he rounded a corner with his former apprentice and looked down at the last group of doors in the hallway.

XXX

Separatists Headquarters, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

"Alright Ben, take a left here, and we should be in the heart of their operation." said Francis as Ben, being trailed by his squad mates, rounded another corner and came face-to-face with another hallway.

Ben, then, did as instructed, and stopped immediately at the threshold a massive set of doors, which appeared to be locked. He then motioned for Greg to place a charge on the door. Greg quickly nodded his head as the other Spartans formed up on the sides of the door, and Ben stood several steps back, facing the center of the blast door before him. Greg then pulled back, and motioned for Ben to take another couple steps back as he pulled out the detonator. Once another couple steps back, Greg pressed down on the button, and the charges detonated, resulting in a massive explosion that rocked the ground around them and sent the blast doors flying inwards.

Ben looked at the smoke, waiting for it to clear. Seeing that the process was taking too long for his liking, he charged in immediately, while the rest of his squad took his example and followed suit. Ben raised his rifle, and scanned the area for hostiles. Noticing none, he took another several cautious steps forward, and continued to scan the area for droids.

Finally, he noticed the usually sickly form of a regular Battle Droid, and opened up on the form before it could fire on him. The droid went down in only a handful of shots, and he continued to scan the area for the enemies. By now, the smoke had diminished greatly, and the room was replaced with red emergency lights that continued to illuminate the darkened room in red light before moving on. After assuming the rest of the droids would have been taken care of, Ben walked over the deactivated body of a former hostile and pulled the sleek cartridge out of the back of his helmet, before placing it in front of a terminal that used to be occupied by a droid not moments before.

The blue form came into existence immediately, and placed its holographic hand on the terminal before disappearing inside the machine. After several moments, files began opening up on their own on the terminal, and Ben took this as his cue before turning around and facing the rest of his squad.

Ben then said, "So what can you do to help us, Francis?"

The A.I. then replied, in an almost excited voice, "I can lock down all the levels, trapping the droid there for some time. I can seal off the hanger bay doors and keep their commanders from escaping. Or I can just deactivate all the droids and call it a day. Your call."

"The deactivate part I like, and also seal off the hanger doors while your at it. No point in letting our hosts leave before the fun begins." Ben replied as he motioned for his squad to follow him while he made his way out of the door and towards the hanger bay.

Francis, in response, did as instructed, and sent the emergency deactivation signal out. Once he was done with that simple task, he sent another signal to close off all hanger bay doors, and lock them. Once that task was too, completed, he sifted through all the information before him, and allows a content, electronic sigh to escape him as h began analyzing all of it at speeds impossible for a normal human to achieve.

XXX

Sector 71-G, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

"Covering fire!" yelled one of the marines as he advanced up the trench he was in the throw a grenade at the droid MG nest that had him and his unit pinned down.

In turn, the various species in this squad popped out of their cover and laid down fire from their various weapons ion the droid defenders. As bullets and plasma whizzed passed his head, the lone marine knelt down, pulled out a fragmentation grenade, and stood up to throw it. Before he got the opportunity, though, a burst of fire from the MG nest opened up on him, and depleted his shields in milliseconds before striking him in the shoulder, sending him down with a live grenade rolling out of his reach.

The marine closed his eyes, and began reciting a prayer he knew since birth, before he heard the quick, heavy, footsteps of a solder. He looked up to see a black-clad armored man running up to the grenade, and pick it up before throwing it in the direction of the droids. The grenade exploded a safe distance away, but not close enough to cause damage to the enemy.

After the grenade was gone, the ODST picked up the marine by his good arm, and carried him while the rest of his squad popped out of their cover and, with the help of the marine squad, sent the droid defender back under the cover their trench provided. The ODST shielded the marine with his body as his shields soaked up the occasional plasma bolt fired from the robotic defenders. Amid a continuous fire from the Confederate droids, and with red plasma landing all around him, the lone ODST jumped into the cover the marine squad was using with the soldier he was carrying right behind him.

Once back, the marine squad went back into the trench, and looked at the ODST as he popped his head out of cover and fired a series of shots at any droid that would press its luck and fire on them. Even the lone Sangheili in the group looked in awe at the ODST as he jumped out of the trench and into the hailstorm of plasma that was fired at him.

Taking confidence from this anonymous soldier, the squad popped back out of cover, and fired their ballistic or plasma based weapons at the droids with renewed vigor, sending more than a handful of droids to their doom.

With the droid pinned down, the ODST squad of five pushed forward, and dove into the hostile trenches while the marines kept the defenders distracted. Once all the ODST's were in the trench, save for the lone one, the marine observed as the droids shifted their attention to the more immediate threats. They didn't stand a chance, though, as the ODST's continued to press their assault and mow down droid after droid.

While his comrades continued to fight through the Confederate trench, the lone ODST looked back at the marine he saved, gave him a quick nod, and charged forward to join his comrades. The marines continued to look in awe as the lone ODST jumped down on an unsuspecting droid and crushed it under his heavy armor.

The marine squad then looked at the lone Sangheili as he stood, and pulled himself out of the trench.

He then turned, and said to his squad mates, "I'll be damned if I let the Helljumpers get all the glory!" before charging in with them, his energy sword held at the ready.

With that, a Kig-yar and human joined their Sangheili brother, and ran into the whirlwind of plasma and bullets.

The rest of the squad followed suit within a matter of moments, the rest of the line looked on at the squad of ODST's and marines obliterating the Confederate positions with wonder. Invigorated by this display of heroism, the rest of the line nearby charged at the Confederates, causing quite a few droid defenders to either attempt to flee or stand, motionless, as they were blow away from the onslaught the new offensive posed.

During the onslaught, the droids, without any warning to speak of, gave off a peculiar sound before hanging their heads low. Quickly following that, their entire bodies slumped to the floor, and they lay there, deactivated.

The rest of the marines looked on, and a number of them raised their weapons into the air while giving off a primal roar of victory. They were soon joined by their Republic counterparts, and within minutes the whole allied line was awash with the chants of victory and celebration.

XXX

Separatists Headquarters, Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

While the battle concluded outside, two Jedi stood outside the blast doors that separated them from their nemesis. Obi-Wan plunged his lightsaber into the door, and slowly cut his way through the thick metal that kept one side from another. Anakin took a step back, and observed his former master as he went to work on the door.

After several tentative minutes, the door finally succumbed to the super-heated material, and opened to reveal a sight neither Jedi expected. Inside the darkened room, a dark figure stood, waiting while facing where the door was. It pulled out its pale hands and pulled back its hood to reveal the face of Asajj Ventress.

"Where's Dooku, Ventress?" asked Anakin through clenched teeth as his grip on the hilt of his lightsaber tightened.

"Oh, I'm afraid you'll have to make an appointment. He's a very busy man, you know.." she replied with a sly smile while placing her own hands on her lightsabers.

"We don't have time for games, Ventress. Surrender peacefully, and we won't need to destroy you." Anakin yelled as he pulled out his lightsaber hilt, but refrained from igniting the blade.

"Oh but you'll have all the time in the universe once I'm done killing you both." she replied while igniting both her lightsabers and holding them as her sides, facing down.

Anakin let out a short growl as he, too, ignited his blade. Before he could charge in, though, Obi-Wan placed his hand on his shoulder, and looked him right in the eye. Silently, Obi-wan told him to be patient, and let go of his anger. With that, Anakin let out a long sigh, breathed slowly, and looked back at Ventress.

"You go to the left, I the right?" asked Kenobi as he ignited his own lightsaber and took a step forward to join his brother.

"No point in fixing what isn't broken, Master." Anakin replied as he took a step to the left while Kenobi took a step to the right.

Ventress darted her eyes from left to right, observing both her foes as they walked up to her form the sides. Then, suddenly, they both struck down at her simultaneously from their respective sides. Asajj, in response, lifted both her lightsabers up to bloke the strikes, then pushed both her assailants off of her. With a raised hand, she pushed Anakin away several meters, then charged at Kenobi. She struck at his feet and midsection simultaneously, but Obi-Wan jumped into the air and above her, slashing at her several times before landing behind her. Ventress blocked all of the attacks, and turned to face him again as Anakin charged back into the fray.

Realizing Kenobi was too much for her at the moment, she turned to the right while kicking Kenobi away and into an adjacent room. Using the Force, she closed and locked the door while Kenobi was still on the ground. She knew it would only take him a minute or less to break through the door, but that was all the time she needed.

She quickly turned to block a strike meant for her head with both her lightsabers, and looked at the face of Anakin. The light from their blades case a dual light on his face, with the right of it blue, and the left red. Ventress immediately pushed off of the lock they found themselves in, and launched a series of quick slashes at Anakin's mid section and head. He easily blocked all of these, though, and used the opportunity while her lightsabers were pressing against his, and kicked her out form her right leg.

She instinctively fell over to the right, and just barely caught herself, with Anakin right above her. Before she could attempt to attack him, though, he cut her right lightsaber in half from above her grip, and blocked her attempt from the left lightsaber. He then used his foot to pin her left hand to the ground while their lightsabers were locked, and cut that blade's hilt as well, leaving Ventress without defense.

Sweat began trickling down his brow as he held his lightsaber at her throat. On the outside, his face remained stoic, betraying no emotions. On the inside, though, Anakin was waging a practical war. He wanted revenge for the gruesome scar over his right eye, but revenge wasn't the Jedi way. He wanted revenge for all the times Ventress nearly killed him, or threatened the life of someone close, but that wasn't enough justification to kill her. She was a Sith, or at least trying to be one. But Sith kill their prisoners. He deactivated his lightsaber, and placed it back on his belt.

Jedi do not.

With a stern look on his face, he looked Ventress in the black holes where her eyes should be, and said, "Up."

While she was silently complying with this order, Obi-Wan finally busted though the door to see Anakin, his face sweaty and hands shaking slightly, with Ventress, a look of fear spread across her face, taking several steps back from her enemy. Obi-Wan walked up to her, and placed his hand on her right shoulder

Finally, with his hand still on her shoulder, Obi-Wan said, "In the name of the Galactic Republic, you, Asajj Ventress, are under arrest, for crimes against sentients, freeing a suspected convict, attempted genocide, homicide, attempted homicide, and I'm pretty sure a host other things I can't remember at the moment."

The group silently walked out of the room, with Anakin at the lead, and turned a corner to see a black cloaked individual standing in their way several meters in front of them.

The being wearing the cloak looked up, its face still hidden, and said, "Give her to me, and we won't have any problems, Jedi."

Anakin squinted at the figure, clenched his lightsaber hilt, which was still at his belt, and said, "We can't, and won't, do that."

The figure then reached into his cloak, and pulled out a lightsaber, held in a reverse grip, and said, "You are no match for me, Jedi. Give her to me, and we can all walk away."

"Like I said," Anakin began while pulling his lightsaber form his belt, "We can't, and won't, do that."

"Then you will die." said the figure as it ignited its blood red lightsaber and charged at the three.

Anakin automatically ignited his own blade, as did Kenobi, and he charged to meet the figure half-way. The cloak previously hiding the figure's head fell back onto its shoulders, and revealed a man, pale face, with brown eyes, and short, military cut hair. While his eyes may not have been Sith yellow or red, they still conveyed no emotion other than rage.

As the two neared each other, the unknown assassin jumped into the air above Anakin, and continued to charge passed him to Ventress. Kenobi immediately stepped in between the two, as Anakin turned and ran after him. The unknown individual reached out his hand, and Force pushed Kenobi and Ventress back farther and with more force than either of them had ever encountered with any Force push in their long lives. Both of them were sent flying at least ten meters back, and Kenobi found his lightsaber knocked form his hand when he hit the floor.

The unknown attacker, completely ignoring Kenobi, jumped again, and landed on top of Ventress. She tried to escape, but he was quicker, and without any hesitation or look of remorse, he decapitated her.

Upon the sight of Ventress' head rolling through the hall and the lightsaber in the man's hand swinging across where her neck should be, Anakin stopped in his tracks, and looked on, in horror. He stood there, motionless, as the assassin turned, and looked at him, then Kenobi, who had used the Force to grab his lightsaber and get back on his feet. Kenobi stepped back, and stood in a defensive stance as the assassin neared him. Anakin, though, was caught with the thought that this may be the person her felt in the Force yesterday when they first landed on the planet.

"My mission is done. There is no point n fighting, now. So please, if I may?" the assassin asked as he pointed his lightsaber down the hallway away from the two.

"Not a chance in Sith Hell." Anakin replied bitterly as he took several steps forward and joined his former mentor.

"Your choice, Jedi." he replied, his face never changing, as he raised his lightsaber.

He then charged forward at the pair, and attacked through a horizontal slash across where both their heads were. Kenobi blocked the strike as Anakin made his own slash as the hostile's unprotected midsection. The assassin, though, jumped up and struck at Obi-Wan several times before landing behind him and kicking him forward and down. Once Kenobi was on the floor, Anakin charged forward and attacked with a series of quick slashes and jabs. All of his attacks, though, met with either empty air or the enemy's lightsaber, which would redirect the strikes into empty air.

While Anakin was sweating from the experience, the assassin let out a short laugh, then, while redirecting Anakin's lightsaber away another time, he slashed at Anakin's mechanical hand. Anakin just barely pulled his arm out of harm's way, and using the assassin's momentum against him, he slashed at the hostile's lightsaber hand. The assassin, though, was too quick, and blocked, locking the two's lightsabers together.

Without wasting any time, both of them used their free hands to try to Force push the other away, and ended up placing their hands but centimeters from each other. Beads of sweat began forming on both of their foreheads as they went as deep into the Force as either of them could go, trying to get over the other.

Seeing that they were locked in a perpetual standstill, the assassin allowed himself to be pushed back several meters, only to land in a roll and get back on his feet in one fluid motion, with Anakin hot on his heels. Anakin went in for the killing blow, but the assassin raised his lightsaber with one hand and outstretched his other, using the Force to push Anakin back against a nearby wall.

Anakin flew through the air, and landed with his head making contact with the wall first. His brain, unable to deal with the immediate damage, went into unconsciousness. Without the conscious outputs from his mind, Anakin's body lay slumped against the wall, and his lightsaber deactivated automatically once it rolled out of his hands and onto the floor.

The assassin took the opportunity while it was there, and jumped forward, intending on killing his unprotected enemy. He planned on landing with a downward vertical, intending on stabbing the Jedi thorough the heart, but, before his lightsaber made contact, it met resistance with a blue outlines blade. He looked up at the owner of the blade to see Obi-Wan back in the fight, and a fierce look of determination on his face.

Obi-Wan pushed up with his lightsaber, forcing the assassin's away from his brother, and moved forward, making several quick, elegant slashed and strikes against the new enemy. This patter continued for several moments, and by then, the assassin realized that this fight would only, invariably, end in his defeat.

After blocking anther slash meant for his midsection, the assassin jumped back as far as his legs and the Force would propel him, and bolted down the hallway and out of the nearby exit, leaving only a somewhat tired Obi-Wan and an unconscious Anakin remaining.

As soon as the assassin was gone, Omega squad rounded the corner and came into view of the scene. They watched as Obi-Wan turned around quickly, his lightsaber still active and held in a defensive stance. Upon seeing the Spartans, though, he deactivated his blade and placed its hilt back on his belt.

As the Spartans neared the two, Obi-Wan knelt down and placed his hand on his friend's forehead and closed his eyes. The Spartans, perplexed by this, simply stood there and waited as Obi-Wan opened his eyes and removed his hand.

Obi-Wan looked at Ben, and said to the Spartan, "He's alive, but he need immediate medical attention."

Ben only nodded, then placed his hand to his ear and said into his built in com unit, "Command, this is Omega team, we need priority-Alpha medevac, ASAP. How copy, over?"

Immediately the man on the other end said, "This is Command. Medevac en route to the north entrance of the Separatist HQ. ETA, five minutes, out."

Ben looked back at Obi-Wan as he knelt down beside Anakin, and gently picked Anakin up and placed him over his shoulder.

He then looked at the supersoldier, and asked, "Where's the medevac?"

"North entrance. They'll be here in five minutes." Ben replied before moving down one of the hallways to the entrance in question.

Obi-Wan was right behind the Spartan as he moved quickly down the hallways, and made a note of it to watch his step, considering the number of deactivated droids laying on the ground. He didn't even bother looking around to see if there were any surviving droids or if the other Spartans were behind him. all he was concerned about was getting Anakin on the medevac and getting him the attention he needed.

Within three minutes, the group left through the entrance they were looking for, and scanned the sky, looking for their designated dropship. It didn't take long until a camouflaged painted, unarmed, Pelican dropped through the cloud cover and descended quickly before them before opening the back ramp and allowing several medics to leave. Once out of their craft, the medics scanned the area, and quickly assessed that Anakin was in need upon the sight of him slumped against the nearby wall, his eyes closed and blood trickling down his forehead.

They picked up the wounded Jedi, and placed his on a stretcher before running back to the Pelican with the rest of the group right behind them.

One of the medics turned to face Kenobi as he lead the Spartans into the Pelican, and said, "I'm sorry General but we can't take you or the Spartans on. You'll all have to wait for the next transport."

"I'm sorry, my friend, but I am getting on this transport, even if I need to force my way in." Kenobi announced to the young medic, a determined look still etched on his face.

The medic was not unaware of the abilities of the Jedi, and gulped loudly before stepping back and allowing Kenobi through. He turned to see the Jedi General sit down on a bench right beside Anakin, and look at the young man, much like a father would a son in this type of situation.

The medic shook his head slightly as the Spartans waited outside, their forms slowly being masked by the rising ramp. Within moments, the cargo hold was blackened by the lack of light before being illuminated by the bright, white lights belonging solely to the medical transportation Pelican.

"Alright, get a bandage on that head wound, now!" the medic ordered as he neared the bed at the center of the cargo room, which held Anakin's unconscious body.

XXX

Anakin Skywalker's Subconscious

Darkness. He was surrounded by utter, complete, all encompassing darkness. This was not the dark in the back of a closet on the far end of a house. This was the black, oppressive darkness found only in the deepest, darkest corners of space itself. And he was stuck in it.

_Anakin_ a faint, far away voice called to him.

It was familiar, someone he heard before, not too long ago, but still far too distant for him to discern the origin. This perplexed him. He would immediately know if it was Obi-Wan or Padmé.

_Anakin, think of Padmé to get out of this darkness. Imagine her love for you, and yours for her, and the light will come. _the voice ordered, not sternly, but still an order nonetheless.

Anakin didn't know why, but he obeyed. The thought of his wife brought him relative peace. Her deep, brown eyes caused his lost mind to enter a blissful existence. The memories of the familiar scent of her hair brought back memories of Varykino, and their wedding, and all the precious time they spent together. The fear that previously gripped him was gone, completely washed away by the peaceful, loving thought of Padmé.

_Good. Now Anakin, you must find your way out of the darkness._ it ordered again, this time sounding much closer than before.

How was he supposed to escape this oppressive darkness? This all encompassing, dreadful emptiness. This was impossible. The darkness had no end. He turned and thrashed, but found no light, no illumination, no guide. Then, he heard the familiar voice. not the one that had ordered him, but something much more calming. It was distant, and he didn't know the source, but he didn't need to. Her beautiful voice was all he needed.

_Ani_ she said, _You can find your way out. I know you can. I believe in you, even if you don't in yourself._

That was all he needed. With renewed resolve, he searched, delving deep into the Force to try to find his way out. His angel didn't even need to be there to comfort him, guide him, away from all things wrong in the universe. Then, his senses were hit with a practical brick wall of light. He sensed it as it washed over his body, driving back the darkness that had enveloped him. What was once dread and sadness, was now joy and peace.

Then, Anakin looked around, only to find a blue phantom of an all-too-familiar being before him.

_"There we go. Now we can talk."_ Qui-Gon said to the young Knight, how looked visibly perplexed at the person before him.

"Qui...Gon?" Anakin asked, almost stumbling with his words as he continued to stare at the blue person. He still wore the Jedi robes he remembered him wearing, and his face had yet to age a day since he last saw the wise Jedi Master, all those years ago.

_"Yes Anakin, but we don't have much time. Please, come closer._´ Jinn requested while motioning with his hands for Anakin to do as instructed.

Anakin obeyed, and soon found himself walking alongside the Force-ghost of Jinn.

Finally, Anakin asked, "How is this possible, Master Jinn?"

Qui-Gon let out a short laugh before saying, _"There are still a great many mysteries in the Force, that even I don't know about. But I know enough to do this, and help you Anakin. I know of the conflict within you."_

Anakin looked down, showing regret, before saying, "I'm sorry, for disappointing you, Master."

Qui-Gon's ghost stopped, and, with his eyebrow raised, he asked, _"What do I have to be disappointed in you of, Anakin?"_

"I remember hearing your voice, faint as it was, before killing those Sand People, three years ago. I felt your disappointment in me, and I know it was justified." Anakin said, still refraining from gazing into Qui-Gon's eyes, instead opting to look down.

Qui-Gon placed his hand on Anakin's shoulder, and Anakin looked up, surprised that he could feel the touch, and listened as Qui-Gon said, _"Forgiveness is the way of the Jedi. You know what you did was bad."_

"I don't deserve forgiveness for my actions." Anakin said solemnly, now looking back down at the perceived floor.

Qui-Gon let out a short sigh before he said _"Anakin, do you remember the story of Revan?"_

"Of course Master," Anakin said, quizzically, "all younglings are taught that story from their first year."

_"He did far more atrocious things thank slaying a camp of Tuskan Raiders out of a fit of rage. And yet, he earned his redemption, just like you can, and have."_ Qui-Gon said, gaining a small smile room Anakin before it disappeared as quickly as it formed.

"I feel this visit is about more than me succumbing to the Dark side briefly." Anakin said, now with a deeply serious countenance.

_"Indeed, it is."_ Qui-Gon replied as he took his hand off of Anakin's shoulder and began walking forward again.

He then stopped several steps ahead of Anakin, and turned to face him, before saying, _"Anakin. You are about to reach a crossroads. The decision you make will determine not just your fate, but the fate of the galaxy as well. So, I feel you are entitled to see the outcome of both your options. You have already seen one of the outcomes not too long ago. Now I must show you the other."_

"You mean the vision I had of my son, Luke?" Anakin asked, tilting his head slightly to the side, pondering this thought.

Qui-Gon simply nodded his head, then reached out his index finger and placed it on Anakin's forehead.

At once, the white "room" they were in was replaced by a darkened, grey, almost barren room. It seemed incomplete, like the structure they were in was still under construction. Out of the nearby window, which was quite expansive itself, there was obviously a battle raging, with massive explosions filling the vacuum of space before ending, lacking oxygen to continue to burn. He then averted his attention to a black-cloaked figure descending the staircase he found himself on top of. He was behind the mysterious man, so he couldn't see the man's face, but there was a dark, foreboding feeling he got upon his first glance at the figure. Briefly feeling through the Force sent him recoiling briefly, upon the realization that the Dark side practically hung off of this man. He never felt such darkness around anyone, not even Dooku. Continuing his gaze, he saw the black suited man, standing at the side of the cloaked person. For some reason, his right hand was missing, and instead, there were nothing bit wires and metal protruding from the place where the hand once resided. His rhythmic breathing appeared labored, like he just finished doing something excruciating, and needed rest immediately.

So focused was he on the black suited man, that he failed to notice the person at the bottom of the staircase. He only noticed him after a statement from the cloaked figure. The voice was familiar, but far too raspy and dark to discern who it belonged to. He saw the young man laying on the floor, his eyes fighting just to open, and smoke clinging to his form and rising into the air around him.

He could discern what he said, though, "And now, Jedi. You die." before shooting Sith lightning at the young man.

Anakin's eyes went wide upon the sight, and he immediately recognized the young man as Luke, his son. The hair, the eyes, and even the voice, as raspy as it was, belonged to his kin.

While trying to break free from his invisible constraints, he heard Luke say, "Father, please. Help me." with clenched teeth as he continued to writhe on the floor, unable to handle the assault any longer.

This set Anakin over the edge, and he began thrashing more violently, saying, "Not Luke! Let him go! No!"

Before this small vision faded, he stopped his thrashing and followed Luke's short gaze back to the black suited man, and he briefly sensed the great conflict taking place in the monstrosity. Before he could figure anything else out, though, the vision faded, and he was back with Qui-Gon in the pure white area.

Anakin began breathing heavily, trying to put the puzzle pieces together, and when it struck him, he practically had a heart attack.

_"Calm down Anakin. Calm down._" Qui-Gon said to the Knight as he fell back and onto the floor, tears already forming in his eyes.

"How can I," Anakin said, in between deep breathes, "when I am a machine man who watches as his son dies before him? That can't be my fate. I would never allow that to happen."

_"Yes Anakin. You wouldn't. Not now at least."_ Qui-Gon said.

"That can't be my future. It just can't." Anakin continued, still sobbing, unable to accept what could be his fate.

_"It doesn't have to be, Anakin. I must go, but I need you to remember one simple motto. 'What would Padmé do?' Can you do that for me?"_ Qui-Gon said as he pulled back from the Knight and took several tentative steps back, still looking on at the Jedi before him.

Anakin looked back up at the specter as it slowly began evaporating, and said, "Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

The specter of Qui-Gon was just about to completely be phased out of existence when he finally said, _"Everything."_

* * *

><p>7 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 19:34:2819:4 BBY

GNR _Nexus_, Orbit of Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

"It's just a minor concussion, General Kenobi, so he should make a quick and speed recovery." the clone medic said to his general, who had spent the past several hours outside the room that housed Anakin's unconscious form.

"Excellent." replied Kenobi as he maintained his gaze through the window, before turning to face the clone to ask, "How long do you think it will be before he wakes up?"

"If I had to guess, sir, I would say in a matter of hours." replied the clone as he looked back down at the datapad in his hands to confirm his suspicion.

"Alright. Alert me if we awakens while I'm gone. I'll be in the mediation chamber." said Kenobi as he turned and left the medical ward, making an immediate left turn, and walking, slowly, down the hallway.

As he walked through the corridors of the medical frigate he found himself on, he was so deep in thought he was completely unaware of the numerous clones that stopped and salute him. But, through all the questions that were running through his head, there was one more prominent than any other.

What could possibly be on Anakin's mind that he was muttering Senator Amidala's name to himself in his dreams?

After the first time he heard Anakin's quiet voice mutter her name while they departed the Pelican dropship and entered the medical frigate, he tried to discreetly look into his mind, only to be blocked by something stronger than even Anakin's mental shields should be able to make. After every quiet outburst, which only lasted for a few moments before it stopped, Obi-Wan tried to probe his mind and find some answers, only to meet the same wall. He even tried to infiltrate through the master-padawan bond that still existed between the two, but even that was blocked. Either Anakin was exceptionally good at hiding things from him, which was remarkably unlikely, or someone else didn't want him to know what Anakin was thinking.

And that's why he found himself in the meditation chamber at the moment. Who would not want him to not be aware of Anakin's private life? While even Kenobi admitted it may not be of his business, it was still a curious incident. Once he would have to confront Anakin about, later.

There was another curious incident that Kenobi would have to consult with Anakin, one probably more unusual than the Senator Amidala's mention, and that was the mention of a person named "Luke".

For some reason, about two hours after they arrived on the medical frigate, Anakin began thrashing about and muttering the phrase "Not Luke! Let him go! No!"

As far as Obi-Wan knew, Anakin knew of no one by the name of 'Luke', and certainly couldn't figure out what he was trying to prevent in his dreams. There was only one instance in which Anakin showed such clarity, and spoke so clearly though his dreams, and that resulted in some business Kenobi had yet to learn all the details on himself.

But, while Kenobi knew his answers would have to come from Anakin himself, he still tried to figure out where those unusually strong mental shields came from. Even Anakin, who had some of the strongest, most resilient mental shields and Knight in the Order possessed, didn't have an as strong as the ones he had for those moments. They came from someone with the knowledge equivalent of an experienced Jedi Master, and he was the only Master anywhere near Anakin for long enough to be able to create those shields.

Deciding to probe one last time, Obi-Wan delved into the force, and searched for his former student. Upon seeing the brilliant light that was Anakin's Force-signature, Obi-Wan noticed the shields were lowered slightly, and he could sneak a peek into the mind. Searching deeper, Obi-Wan found the familiar sight of the numerous strands and fibers that were the connections Anakin made through life, most being thin and unused, with only a handful strong, vibrant, and bright. At the moment, there were three that were most prominent. One that connected Anakin to Ahsoka. Another that connected Obi-Wan to the powerful Knight. And a third he never noticed before. Briefly searching through the strand, he found it traversed a great distance, going all the way back to Coruscant. Going deeper into the Force to see the other end of the bond, Obi-Wan found it weave through the buildings of the Upper City of the mega-city, and end in an apartment in 500 Republica, several levels below the penthouse. Going deeper, Obi-Wan saw a sight he'd rather have not seen, but nevertheless left him unsurprised.

'_Why must he be so impulsive_'Obi-Wan wondered as he examined the life-bond between the two obvious lovers, seeing it going deeper, and glowing brighter than most bond he ever had the good pleasure of seeing.

While Obi-Wan was still dwelling on these thoughts, he heard a knock on the door. As quickly as he could, he pushed himself off the floor, and with several long strides, he opened the door to see an all too familiar Padawan before him.

"Are you here to see Anakin as well?" Obi-Wan asked Ahsoka as she stood before him, a look of worry evident on her face.

"Yes Master Kenobi. I was hoping I could see him, but felt I should consult you first." Ahsoka replied before stepping back to allow Kenobi to leave the room and walk with her in the direction of the medical ward.

"Well thank you for consulting me before you went to him. I have a few questions for you, Ahsoka, if you don't mind answering them." Obi-Wan said as the pair rounded the corner and began walking down another hallway on their route.

"Of course, Master Kenobi. Anything." Ahsoka replied, a curious look on her face as she looked at the bearded master to her right.

"Ahsoka, can you think of any reason why Anakin could be reciting Senator Amidala by name while in his unconscious state, or why the two share a life-bond?" Obi-Wan asked, getting right to the point while stopping and looking at his friend in the eye.

Ahsoka, pushing the shock from the insinuation aside, thought that over for a brief minute, then said, "I can't think of anything that you would like, or makes any sense, no."

"After everything I've seen so far, I'm ready for anything." Obi-Wan replied, now crossing his arms across his chest, subconsciously preparing for what he knew deep down she was going to say.

"Well, considering the bond, it's plainly obvious the two are more than just friends, Master Kenobi." she said, before shaking her head and continuing, "But that's almost impossible. Skyguy's done some stupid things before, but nothing that stupid...right?"

Obi-Wan thought that over in his mind briefly. Even he had to admit, it is a plausible story. It would certainly explain some unusual behavior on Anakin's part as of late, but that still didn't explain the Luke portion of this conundrum. Unless...

Obi-Wan's eyes widened, upon the thought that Anakin would be so irresponsible. There had to be another explanation. Anakin would never commit to something so reckless, and so opposed to the Code. Even Anakin would have the common sense to protect against such outcomes, knowing the consequences.

But, then again, he was never one for rules, and he always had a crush on the Senator from Naboo, and it all fits together quite nicely.

Ahsoka looked on at Obi-Wan, an almost frightened expression on her face as she saw Obi-Wan's reaction to her accusation.

Before she could say anything to sooth his nerves, he said, "We need to talk with Padmé, immediately."

After this statement, a clone rounded the corner, and said to the two, "Sir,"while looking at Kenobi, before turning his head to look as Ahsoka to say, "Ma'am," then continued, "General Skywalker is awake. He asked to see you both."

"Why confront the Senator when we can just as easily get our answers through Skyguy?" Ahsoka said while turned in the direction of the clone before them, and then began walking, with Kenobi behind her, towards the medical ward.


	9. Chapter 8: Unwanted Revelations

Chapter 8: Unwanted Revelations

7 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 19:40:38/19:4 BBY

GNR _Nexus_, Orbit of Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

The sounds of the medical ward aboard the medical frigate were rhythmic and somewhat calming to the patients. With the clones moving around form bed to bed to treat the wounded, it sounded like an opera was playing, with their boots as the instruments and their bodies as the dancers. Well choreographed, and prepared through tireless practice. The pings and thuds from various machines both near him and those far away added to the pleasant orchestral song being played. Anakin closed his eyes and allowed his mind to roam, the sounds continued to draw memories of his time in various medical wards across the galaxy for his actions. He was not unfamiliar to these, or hospitals, or medics. Hell, he could probably figure the purpose and names of almost every machine in any medical ward in the galaxy simply because of the amount of time he spent in them and around the personnel that staffed them.

While Anakin was musing with these thoughts, the sound of three sets of boots, previously unheard, neared him. He opened his eyes, and followed them as they neared his room, and saw three figures in the window. His former master, to the right, with Ahsoka next to him, on the left, and the clone medic hanging off to the side of the window. Anakin let a smile creep across his face, but didn't see anything on Obi-Wan's face and Ahsoka seemed to avoid his gaze. Something was wrong.

Anakin looked at the medic, as he continued to talk, then left after he was done saying whatever he was saying. As soon as the medic turned and began walking away, Obi-Wan opened the door, and walked through the threshold with Ahsoka right behind him, her head held low.

Obi-Wan stepped to the side, allowing Ahsoka to pass him, and quickly closed the door behind them. Anakin tried to say hello, but noticed neither of them were paying any attention before any words left his mouth. Obi-Wan lowered the blinds on the one window in the room, then turned to look at Anakin, a questioning gaze across his face. Anakin knew that gaze all too well, for it was the very same he would get before being interrogated as a padawan.

Anakin raised an eyebrow, and asked while Kenobi still looked at him from across the room, "What did I do wrong this time, Master?"

Obi-Wan's response came after a short wait. He let out a sigh, then looked like he was contemplating saying something. He seemed unsure, but deep down, Anakin knew what he had to say was important for give him that gaze again, and knew it would come out. Before he said anything, though, the Jedi Master closed his eyes, and continued to think for a second.

Once his eyes were open, giving the look of renewed resolve, Obi-Wan said, "Anakin, do you mind telling us why you share a life-bond with Senator Amidala?"

While his face betrayed no emotion, his mind was awash with a hurricane of thoughts, ranging from how stupid he was, to what plausible lies he could devise. Fear crept up to him, consuming him within seconds of the statement, but Anakin was quick to hide the emotion behind every mental shield he knew about. He wasn't fast enough though.

Obi-Wan looked down, feeling the fear Anakin felt before hiding it away quickly thereafter, and said solemnly, "I knew it."

Anakin put on the best dumbfounded look he could, and said to Obi-Wan, "What do you mean Master?"

Ahsoka looked up into Anakin's eyes, and said to her former master, "Master, we know about your relationship with Senator Amidala."

Anakin couldn't even try to hide his emotions this time. Surprise was showing, but it was accentuated with his deep sigh, and he closed his eyes. What could he possibly say to get out of this one?

Then, he heard the same voice he heard not too long ago say, _They already know, Anakin. Might as well come clean._

Anakin nodded his head, and opened his eyes to say to both of them, "How'd you figure it out?"

Obi-Wan answered this time, saying, "I heard you utter her name several times. Then I saw you thrashing about saying something about some Luke. I meditated on the matter, and discovered the bright fiber connecting you two shortly thereafter. After Ahsoka gave the possible, albeit unlikely explanation, that you and her were more than friends, it answered some questions I've been having about you two for some time."

Anakin couldn't help but say with a small grin, "I guess it's more likely than you thought, huh?"

"This is no time for jokes, Anakin!" Obi-Wan said hotly, more so than he intended.

Ahsoka said to him, almost pleadingly, "Anakin, this is a very serious offense. Do you have any idea of what you've done?"

"Yeah Snips," Anakin began, sitting up to look at his former student, a renewed sense of anger seething inside of him, "I was well aware of the consequences of my actions three years ago, and I still did it without regret. As far as I'm concerned it was the best decision of my life."

"You've been together for three years?" asked Kenobi, his eyes wide. He didn't know what he was less inclined to believe. That his former padawan could so easily hide this from him for so long, or that he wasn't able to find it himself.

"Yes, Master. We've been married for three years, after the First Battle of Geonosis." Anakin replied somewhat matter-of-factly, setting himself gently back down slightly.

"Married! By the Force, this is worse than I thought." Obi-Wan said out loud, voicing his thoughts openly.

"You offend me with such words Obi-Wan." Anakin replied.

"Anakin, do you have any idea over how foolish this is? She's a politician. For all you know, she wooed you for her own ulterior motives." Obi-Wan spat, immediately regretting his last statement. If he knew Anakin, and he did, he just unleashed a verbal monster.

"Master," Anakin began coldly, "She's different form the rest, and you know it! The love we fell for each other is the one thing I'm certain about these days, and you will not defile it with your venomous words."

He then continued, his hands held in the air to further his point, "I don't even know why I'm saying this. You wouldn't understand anything about the love we feel for each other."

Obi-Wan was taken aback by this, then, after waiting a short time under Anakin's gaze, said, "I know all too well about the finer points of love, Anakin, so don't try to lecture _me_. I'm not the one in question here."

Both Anakin and Ahsoka were surprised by this statement. As far as either of them knew, Master Kenobi was always lived by the Code in the strictest sense.

The room was filled with the awkward silence that followed. The air seemed colder, somehow, and it seemed to stop flowing. The lights seemed darker than before, but just enough to go unnoticed by all those who didn't pay attention to them to begin with.

Finally, the silence ended when Anakin said to them, "You know, I intended to tell the Council once the war was over, but I guess it might go over better with the other Masters if the news came from one of their own."

Obi-Wan felt he should have been surprised by that comment as well. He thought Anakin would have assumed that his marriage could remain a secret forever, and that he wanted to stay a Jedi for the rest of his days. Then again, he seemed more docile as of late, and deep down, he knew that Anakin's loyalties lay with the Senator, or himself, or his padawan, but not the Order as a whole, and most certainly not the Code.

Obi-Wan let out a short sigh, before saying, "Anakin, I know all too well how difficult it can be to let go on someone you love. It can be something that tears your very soul apart, and I couldn't bear to put you through that, especially considering that if you had to chose between the Order and Padmé, you'd most likely chose her-"

Anakin interjected before Kenobi finished, saying, "I would without a moment's hesitation, Master, but please continue."

"Yes, well," Obi-Wan thought about what he was about to say, but pushed through," I won't tell the Council. That will be your job when the time is right, when the war ends and we no longer need your expertise."

Anakin allowed a smile to show on his face. He knew Obi-Wan loved him like a brother, but to be willing to risk his own stance in the Order by not saying anything was unprecedented to say the least. Not to imply that Anakin would have particularly cared if Kenobi chose to tell them, guaranteeing his expulsion from the Order. To be done with the life-threatening missions and be home to raise their precious children with Padmé was the only thing still driving him to see an end to the war. But, it was immensely comforting to see that his former master still cared for him so much.

As Obi-Wan turned, he motioned for Ahsoka to follow, then turned to Anakin and said, "And for the record, you couldn't have chosen a more befitting person to break the Code for, my former padawan."

Anakin's smile grew wider, as he said with sincerity, "Thank you Master, for everything."

Obi-Wan smiled himself, and said, "I love you like a son, Anakin. I couldn't turn on you now. Besides, I believe this can count, meaning I'm ahead of you."

"Cato Neimoidia counts for two Master, making us even." Anakin replied smugly.

"Even if it did, which it doesn't, I still saved you from that assassin. I'll let you have this one and say I'm only one ahead of you." Obi-wan finished as he closed the door behind Ahsoka and walked away.

Ahsoka still sported a confused look on her face, and said, while looking at Obi-Wan, "That is the most out of character thing I've ever seen you do, Master Kenobi."

Obi-wan looked forward, but his eyes seemed focused on something farther away, into space itself, like he was deep in thought, and replied, "He obviously loves her, Ahsoka, and spending so much time away must be heart-breaking. So, I believe he's earned a little break."

Ahsoka, still with a curious look, said, "You said you know about love, Obi-Wan, but who did you love to make this issue so relatable with you?"

Obi-Wan looked back at her, his eyes slightly watery, and said, "One day, I'll tell you and Anakin about her, but today is not that day." before continuing, "Now can you make sure the fleet is ready to set out for whatever other planet needs out assistance. I need to mediate."

"Of course, Master Kenobi." Ahsoka replied with a curtly bow before beginning to set off in the other direction, while Kenobi continued down his current path back to the meditation chamber.

XXX

CSS _Redemption_, Orbit of Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

On the bridge of the Coalition supercarrier, the lights were dimmed considerably, and the walls and terminals were awash with faint blue light from the hologram on display in the middle of the room. Before the blue representation of General Windu, Admiral Oku stood as straight as a rod, waiting for the famous Jedi General to finish.

"In conclusion, Admiral, we should be ready to depart within eleven hours. Twelve if we double check everything." concluded Windu as he placed the datapad previously in his hands down on an unknown surface and looked back up at Oku.

"That's excellent, General. I'll inform you, as well as Admiral Yularen and the rest of your generals as soon as my A.I. is done sifting through the data found." Oku replied, maintaining his posture, even as his legs began to tire.

"Thank you Admiral." Windu finished with a bow before he severed the connection they had, allowing the bridge to be bathed in relative darkness briefly before the white lights came back on.

Oku immediately turned his gaze down upon a terminal near him on the right, and asked to what appeared to be nothing, "How much longer until you're finished?"

On cue, the holographic representation of the A.I. Francis appeared and said in response, "I'm finishing up now. Would you like me to tell them myself, or have you do it, Admiral?"

"How could you tell them?" asked Oku, raising an eyebrow and leaning slightly closer to the hologram before him, placing one hand on the terminal to maintain balance.

"Sir," the A.I. began, while lowering its head slightly and looking up at the officer, almost condescendingly, "as long as I have access to your communications equipment, I could contact anyone in this galaxy, if I wanted. Besides, I only plan to send them the pertinent information, which, might I add, is few and far between."

Oku placed his hand off of the terminal, leaned back to his original position, and said, "The Separatists don't like to save their battle plans?"

The A.I. maintained its position and posture while saying, "It appears they delete their information as soon as their council leaves. I got a few mentions of some planets, and some troop movement plans for those stationed here. But overall, no grand battle strategy on a galactic scale. Hell, there isn't even a mention of the Ace of Spades, and only a handful for the Aces of Diamonds (Dooku), and Clubs (Grievous)."

Oku let out a short sigh, then said "Well that's disappointing."

"Not entirely." the A.I. said with a devilish grin.

"How so?" asked Oku, leaning forward again, but not enough to need to place his hands on the terminal.

"Before the droids could delete the ship log for Dooku's ship," the A.I. began, a confident tone evident in its voice, "our Spartans stormed in and blew them to kingdom come, allowing me free reign over the compound. So, we know exactly where Dooku at least said he was going."

As the A.I. stopped momentarily, Oku's now short patience was spent, and he said, "Well?"

Francis nodded his head, then looked down, as if reading something, before saying, "A planet in the Cato Neimoidia System called, and I would like to stress the originality of the name, Cato Neimoidia, in the Colonies Region."

"I read from one of the reports when we were back on Coruscant that Cato Neimoidia was under attack by Republic forces. Is that still true?" asked Oku.

"The Separatists here are under the same assumption, so I would guess that's true." Francis responded, shrugging slightly.

"Alright," Oku began , turning slightly, but still looking at Francis out of the corner of his eye, "tell the generals and Admiral Yularen about this development, and that I would like to ship out within twelve hours. Understood?"

"Loud and clear Admiral." Francis responded, giving a mock salute before disappearing.

XXX

GNR _Resolute_, Orbit of Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

Once the battle had concluded, and troops began moving back into their respective ships, Yularen began sifting through the battle statistics that he had available. Even through the battle had only just ended, he still could get a general idea about the number of casualties his forces sustained, as well as equipment loss, remaining food rations, remaining ammunition, etcetera.

The admiral let out a short sigh as he continued reading about the number of losses in the first day of battle. This was always his least favorite part of the battles, when he had to envision the clones going into battle with their commanders to die. The thought that they didn't have families to go back to allowed him some solace, but not nearly enough. He didn't have the same luxury when reading about the Coalition's losses, knowing all too well that they all came from families, not labs on Kamino. They all had someone that loved them, and would miss them dearly, the clones did not.

A shame really, Yularen thought. Every one of the clones were hard working, almost to a fault. They were all completely devoted, and would make any woman in the galaxy extremely pleased. Regardless, this was a war, and any romantic entanglements would get in the way of the job. After all, destroying the Separatists comes first.

While he was musing with these thoughts, his personal datapad gave off a distinctive chirp, indicating that there was a new message for him. He set aside the datapads he was reading from without reluctance, and looked at the new content.

Yularen whispered to himself, "Cato Neimoidia. Well, I guess they need our help there anyway."

After his statement, he turned and faced the clones on his deck to say, "Get me Generals Kenobi, Windu, Skywalker, and Commander Tano on, now."

The clones did as instructed, typing away furiously on their consoles, and soon enough, four holographic representations appeared before Yularen, automatically causing the lights in the bridge to dim, bathing the room in greater darkens, with a slight blue tint to everything inside.

Yularen couldn't help but notice that even though Anakin was up and moving, apparently, he still sported a bandage on his forehead, and it appeared it would stay there for the time being. The admiral also found it somewhat perplexing that the three Jedi officers, all aboard the _Nexus_, were on different holographic transmissions, but they were here now, and that's all that mattered.

"Is this about Cato Neimoidia, Admiral?" asked Kenobi.

"Yes," Yularen began, while maintaining his straight posture and stoic face, "I wanted to consult all of you before Admiral Oku, to make sure we had a definite plan in place."

"Indeed." Kenobi stated in response.

"I should tell you all, now, that I must leave for Coruscant. Master Yoda requested my audience." Windu stated, his tone never changing, as always with the Master.

"Your presence will be missed, General Windu." Yularen said, while giving a slight bow to the Master, who himself returned the favor.

"Indeed." was all Anakin said, his face betraying no emotion to speak of.

Windu's hologram glared at Anakin's, his face appearing cold and calculating. The Jedi Master knew all too well Anakin was making a verbal jab at him, and he was not amused.

Before Mace could begin thinking of ways to reprimand the Knight, Obi-Wan interjected, "Well, we still need to worry about Cato Neimoidia."

Yularen took this as his cue, and began saying, "We can depart in eleven hours, but Admiral Oku would like us to leave in twelve, to make sure all things here have been taken care of."

There was a short silence, before Anakin ended it by stating, "Master Kenobi and I can leave now, if that is the issue, Admiral."

Master Kenobi's hologram then turned and look at Anakin's ready to correct his young friend by saying they were needed here.

As Obi-Wan opened his mouth, Anakin said before any words left, "If we leave now, Master, we can make sure Dooku doesn't escape, and end this war that much sooner."

Obi-Wan closed his mouth, and tilted his head ever so slightly to the side to contemplate this. He knew Dooku couldn't escape again, and his capture would effectively end the war for the Separatists. Nevertheless, he didn't like the idea of going alone, without any support from his fleet guaranteeing their safety.

Ahsoka seemed to catch on to Obi-Wan's hesitance, and said, "We can propose the Spartans go with you, and I can stay behind to make sure the fleet is ready to depart on schedule, Master Kenobi."

"Alright Ahsoka. As long as we're in agreement," Obi-Wan said, looking back and forth between the holograms before him as everyone else nodded in agreement, "then we'll leave, hopefully with the Spartan team, within an hour."

"If that is all then," Mace said, looking at Yularen as the admiral nodded once, "then I'll make my leave as well. May the Force be with you all."

"And also with you, Master Windu." replied everyone else as his hologram faded quickly into nothingness, and its projector turning dark.

Without saying anything else, Ahsoka severed her connection, as did Yularen, but Anakin remained with Obi-Wan's.

"I'll get the fight-" Anakin began as he leaned down to ready himself to sever his connection when he was suddenly interrupted by Obi-Wan.

"Wait, Anakin. Come by the meditation chamber before you check the fighters. I have some things I must talk to you about."

Anakin let out a short sigh, a ping of nervousness registering in his mind before he said in response, "Alright, Master. I'll be there in five." before severing the connection.

Once the last hologram was gone, Obi-Wan stood in the hallway in silence. He placed the device back in its pocket, and leaned against the wall, waiting for his former apprentice to round the corner. While he waited, he began thinking of how he could begin the inevitably tough conversation, nay confession, he had to make. This was nothing he wanted to do, but he knew it had to be done, for Anakin's sake at least.

The Jedi Master closed his eyes and sighed heavily before he hear the pitter-patter of footsteps near him. He opened his eyes to see his former apprentice making his way through the throngs of clones, saluting them while maintaining his gaze with Obi-Wan. Once he was done with any formalities, he made several long, confident, strides, and was before his former master in seconds.

"Come Anakin," Obi-Wan said, as he motioned with his right hand, opening the door to the darkened room, and took a small step inside, "I would like to meditate with you, before we embark on our new mission."

Anakin didn't say anything as he tentatively walked inside, behind Obi-Wan, and closed the door behind him. He then sat opposite his master in the traditional manner and closed his eyes, allowing himself to drift into the familiar river that was the Force. At once, all his minor fears over this encounter were washed away, and he relaxed. This was a state he seldom achieved on his own, without his Master's relatively calming presence nearby. That serenity soon ended, though.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan began, his eyes still closed, "I'm sorry."

What could he be sorry about? He has done nothing wrong. Was this a new tactic to make Anakin apologize for something himself? Was he manipulating him to do something? No, Obi-Wan would never do something like that.

"You're right. I wouldn't even conceive of the idea, my young friend." said Obi-Wan, before letting out a long sigh.

Anakin mused with the notion that he needed to improve his mental shields, before saying to Obi-Wan, "What could you be sorry about Master?"

"I have failed you, Anakin. I have failed you." was Obi-Wan's reply, sounding pained at having to say the venomous words.

Anakin was shocked at this blatant statement. Obi-Wan never failed, ever. The mere notion that Obi-Wan somehow failed him was painful. It hurt on a level Anakin would have never expected. Obi-Wan had been the greatest mentor he could have asked for. He willingly accepted the role as his brother, his father. He cared for him on a level that was rivaled only by his love for Padmé and Ahsoka. Of course he hadn't failed, in any way, shape, or form.

"You seem uncertain, Anakin. Let me explain." he said, before sighing heavily again.

He then continued, "I failed you, Anakin, because you didn't trust me enough to safeguard your secret with Padmé. I failed you because you couldn't find it in yourself to confide in me about what you were going through, what you had done. I wasn't the brother you needed. The...father...you needed."

What emotional pain he felt before paled in comparison to what he felt now. His former master hadn't failed him, regardless of what he may have believed. He failed Obi-Wan. He couldn't trust Obi-Wan with a truth he deserved to know. A secret he knew all along that his former master would keep, regardless of what he may say or think at first. His fear for being revealed had caused his friend, his brother, to become delusional and pain himself over Anakin's failure.

_I caused this. My fear caused this._ Anakin thought to himself as his face had yet to change to any other expression other than shock.

Finally, he took back command of his facial muscles, and leaned in, saying firmly, "Master. I need to tell you something. Something I should have told you long ago."

Before he continued, Obi-Wan finally opened his eyes. His eyes gave the impression that he was deeply hurt, but only Anakin's perceptive skills thanks in part to the time he spent with Obi-Wan over the years, gave that secret away. Anakin then thought of whether it was a good idea to come out and tell him of his atrocities. What he had done when he touched the Dark side in anger.

But, before his fear took control again, Anakin was able to rationalize that if he didn't tell Obi-Wan now, he would be succumbing to his fear, again. And it was plainly obvious what that had done to someone he cared about. He wouldn't let that happen again.

The young Knight gave a labored sigh, looked down at the floor, and said, "Mater. After my mother...died, in my arms. I...I felt nothing but anger. Nothing but rage."

He then looked up into the eyes of his former Master, registering his rapt attention to his confession, "I killed them all, every last one of them. And I...enjoyed it." he finished as he looked back down in shame.

Anakin looked back up, his eyes watery, and his face showing nothing but intense, deep sorrow, while he just barely got out, "_I _failed you, Master. I am not deserving of being a Jedi, if I took so much enjoyment out of their slaughter."

Obi-Wan wasted no time in leaping across the relatively short distance between them, and hugged Anakin like he did while the young man was just a boy. Anakin's head rested on Obi-Wan's shoulder, and the Jedi Master could feel the tears as they hit his neck, knowing his tunic was not spared.

Once Anakin seemed to calm down some time later, Obi-Wan pushed him away just enough to look into the young man's eyes, and said, "Anakin, you feel remorseful for your actions. Do you not?"

Anakin was only able to nod, as Obi-Wan continued, "You will not repeat your mistake?"

Yet again, Anakin only nodded, but his eyes showed nothing but complete sincerity in the gesture. Obi-Wan, satisfied with the answers, for now, leaned back in and gave a brief hug, allowing Anakin to let the rest of his tears pour out.

Once the tears were done flowing, Obi-Wan let go, stood up, and said to Anakin while he too, stood, "Anakin, even with this knowledge, I still want you to know that I feel nothing but pride for you, simply because you have improved greatly since that time."

Anakin raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Master, what do you mean?"

Obi-Wan let a small smile to show as he said, pride evident in his voice, "You spared Ventress. I felt the anger from the other room as the two of you dueled, and I felt as though you would do something you would regret. But as soon as I come out, I see cuffs on her hand and a look of determination on your face."

He then clasped onto Anakin's shoulder, and said, "Anakin. You resisted the temptation of the Dark side, and followed the light. If anything, you've learned your lesson. You are more than deserving of the title of 'Knight'."

Anakin allowed Obi-Wan's pride for him to manifest on his facial featured, and the two walked back into the well light hallway, squinting for a moment to adjust for the light.

As the two began making their way to the hanger bay, Obi-Wan finally said with a grin, "You know Anakin, I'm still left wondering what happened to my invitation to the wedding ceremony."

Anakin smiled as well as he said, "Well I remember sending it to you, Master. It must have got lost in the transmission."

"I'm sure."

XXX

CSS _Redemption_, Orbit of Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

Amid the chaos of the hanger bay, one lone Pelican dropship waited patiently for its cargo to arrive. It was a lone rock against the waves that washed over it. Among the pilots, sailors, marines, and any other type of personnel that could have found their way into the hanger bay, a group of five soldiers, clad in armor from head to toe, and taller than all the rest, walked through the crowd, which parted to make way for them as they walked into the cargo hold of the Pelican. Once the last of them stepped off the ramp and into the solid floor, the ramp raised by the order of the pilot and the craft began lifting off, hovering a couple meters off the floor.

Finally, the ramp closed, and steam escaped several spots on the edge of the ramp, giving off a distinct whine as the hydraulics worked to seal off the inside of the cargo bay. With the compartment sufficiently sealed, the Pelican dropship took off at incredible speeds towards the hanger exit, and soon found itself in the suffocating darkness that is the vacuum of space.

By now, the Spartans inside the craft took up their usual seats and waited for the dropship to land inside the hanger bay of their designated stealth corvette, the _Invisiblis_. The time passed slowly for Ben as he watched with rapt attention to the conversations his Spartans were having with each other and the pilot. The Spartans continued to chide each other, and Ben was reminded again that while they may be the best of the best, they were still humans.

That thought brought him back to when he first learned of the ONI propaganda ads during the Great War all those years ago. _'Spartan Never Die.'_ he remembered. When he first eyes the poster of the famous Master Chief with his squad of comrades surrounding him, at the young age of ten, he knew right then and there he was going to be a Spartan himself. The belief that Spartans were that good, that powerful, that important, gave him all the incentive to see an end to the grueling training regimen.

He smiled as he continued to muse with that naive belief. As soon as his boots met earth and he was on his first mission with Omega team, that belief that Spartans were unbeatable was shattered almost entirely when one of his squad mates, someone he knew since the beginning of his training, was pushed to stay behind to hold off a large wave of Insurgents, supported by a previously unknown cache of Covenant weapons, alone. When reinforcements came and the area cleared of the terrorists, his body was quickly recovered and hidden. The war may gave been over, but ONI believed the invincible aura around the Spartans had to remain.

As Ben continued to muse with these thoughts, the Pelican weaved past the last of the tightly compacted vessels of the 14th Fleet, and found itself in front of the hanger bay of the _Invisiblis_. The pilot carefully maneuvered his craft in the vacuum of space, aligning it just right to land safely in the hanger bay. when he was finished with his delicate movements, he pushed forward on the yoke of the vessel, and the Pelican pushed through the containment field of the hanger bay, hovering above the floor of the small room. Slowly, the Pelican lowered itself, meter-by-meter, until the landing clamps hit the ground with a series of loud _thuds_. With the Pelican safely on the ground, the rear ramp released more white air, and the ramp lowered. The Spartans were already standing at attention when they came upon the sight of the naval personnel waiting for them.

There, assembled in white naval uniforms, stood a formation of five people, four men, all looking aged and nearing their retirement, and one woman, looking significantly younger. No older than thirty, and she seemed to be at the front of the wedge. She wore the uniform and insignia of a captain of higher rank than the rest of her colleagues, and she showed it with her straight posture and determined look. Her light brown, almost hazel eyes bore through the armor of the Spartans and assessed each of them, just by their posture alone. By the time any of them could talk, she could have already made up her mind on them, and any other information was unnecessary.

Apparently satisfied, she let out a slight grin on the edge of her lips, as Ben walked forward and said with a salute to the young woman, "Staff Sergeant Ben-723. Omega team ready when you are Captain."

The young woman returned the salute, and extended her hand in one fluid motion, while saying, "It's an honor to house Spartans on this proud vessel."

Ben took her hand, and shook it, taking note of her unusually strong grip, while he said, "The honor is all mine, Captain..."

"O'Neil. Captain Alicia O'Neil." was her reply as she carefully retracted her hand and placed it atop her other, both resting behind her back.

She then turned heel, and began leaving with her entourage out of the hanger, the Spartans soon falling in step with her. "I'm assuming any type of formal introduction for my squad is unnecessary."

"You assume correctly, Sergeant. Have you been briefed on the mission?" she continued, her stoic face looking down the short corridors.

"Yes we have. You drop us in Cato Neimoidia with the two Jedi Generals, we capture the Ace of Diamonds, then bring our prisoner to Coruscant to be tried for his crimes. Simple enough."

Captain O'Neil let out a short sigh, and said in a wistful voice, "Were it so easy."

They were near the entryway to the bridge when Ben raised one of his eyebrows beneath his helmet, and asked, "If you don't mind me asking, ma'am, but why do you feel success may be beyond our reach?"

"Not to downplay either your abilities or those of the Jedi," began the captain as the door to the bridge opened automatically, sliding to the side inside the wall, "but none of you have any idea what you'll be walking into, save for snippets of information."

As O'Neil and Ben walked through the threshold, their subordinates close behind, Ben said, "If these two Jedi are as good as everyone says they are, than I think we'll be just fine."

"I hope so Sergeant, for your sake." replied O'Neil as she walked to the edge of the raised walkway they entered onto and looked down at one of the ensigns who was typing away on a terminal.

"Patrick." she called into the bridge, which up to this point was quite, with the faint sound of typing and the occasional thuds from footsteps.

"Yes ma'am." replied one of the ensigns, whose location could not be determined from the raised position.

"Patch me through to Generals Kenobi and Skywalker." she ordered, looking in the general direction of the voice, but not focusing on anyone in particular.

"Yes ma'am" was his dutiful reply as the mysterious individual went back to work.

Soon enough, the holographic table at the center of the bridge lit up before Ben and O'Neil as the rest of the Spartans and the captain's entourage waited out of view on the edge of the room. The bluish light it gave off highlighted O'Neil's hazel eyes to a certain degree, and Ben took note of their depth. He was quite intrigued with the woman before him. Intrigued indeed.

As Ben mused with these thoughts, the two forms he began to become familiar with appeared before him suddenly, and his thoughts were forced from his head as their conversation began.

Captain O'Neil bowed slightly to the holograms before her and said with tone denoting power and control, "Greeting Generals. I am Captain Alicia O'Neil of the _Invisiblis_, and I'll be joining you with Omega team to Cato Neimoidia."

Obi-Wan and Anakin returned to curtly bow and Master Kenobi said to her, "Hello to you as well Captain. If you're curious to when we're leaving, you still have ten minutes with the fleet."

"Thank you Master Jedi," she began, turning her attention to Obi-Wan, "but I was more inclined to warn you both that if we find ourselves in an engagement, my ship will be almost completely useless. Unless, of course, we're only dealing with a squadron of CIS fighters, in which case my ship may be of some use."

"Thank you for the warning, Captain," confidently said the other Jedi, causing O'Neil to avert her attention to the younger man, "but I'm more than certain we can keep any droids from coming close to your ship."

"I thank you for the promise, Master Jedi." O'Neil said with another bow in their direction.

"You're welcome, Captain." stated Master Kenobi evenly before the connection was severed and the blue tint to O'Neil's eyes were gone.

The ensuing ten minutes went by smoothly, as O'Neil continued to bark orders at her ensigns to do the tasks needed before slipspace travel. Her sailors complied obediently, making the final checks in the hull and shields to make sure slipspace exposure to the ship wouldn't rip it apart.

Finally, once the ten minutes had passed, one of the ensigns said to Captain O'Neil, "Ma'am, I'm reading increasing energy output from the two Jedi Interceptors. It appears they're about to leave.

"Then let's go, men." she ordered, garnering several seconds of typing as her response.

Within moments, the familiar portal opened up in front of the ship, and they pushed themselves past the event horizon and into the realm of slipspace as their counterparts entered hyperspace.

Ben, who had been spending the past several minutes near the entrance to the bridge, walked up to within a few meters of Captain O'Neil , and asked, "So, Captain, when can we expect to leave slipspace?"

She turned around, and Ben found himself looking back into those hazel eyes again as she replied evenly, "We'll be near Cato Neimoidia in eight hours, Sergeant, so I advise you and your men take the opportunity to find some sleep."

"Yes, ma'am." was his cool reply, which he said before turning on his heels and leaving, his Spartans in tow, to their quarters.

The supersoldiers needed no directions, as they spent most of their time in this type of ship while in between missions. It only took them a little over two minutes to enter their bunks, and they all began removing their armor. Because of the heavy weight, and the sheer intricacy of the armor, it took them at least ten minutes to remove enough to sleep comfortably, which meant the boots and leggings remained.

As Ben closed his eyes, he found the Captain's face invading his mind.

Intriguing Indeed.

* * *

><p>7 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 21:24:3619:4 BBY

Chancellor's Suite, Senate Building, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

Outside the thick panels of glass, the lights of Coruscant's Upper City created a collage of colors. It bled through the transparent material, and reflected off of the glistening desk and other various marble furnishings in the opulent suite. Palpatine, standing behind his desk, paid no attention to the dancing colors before him as he donned his black robe.

He had already discussed with Dooku, and he knew the old man was finished on Cato Neimoidia. He intended to go with Grievous and plan the final stages of the assault on Coruscant, but Palpatine argued that they need to throw off the Jedi, so he was to go to a relatively unimportant world and engage, preferably, Skywalker and Kenobi. From there, he was told that he had to kill Kenobi and lure Skywalker to the Dark Side. Palpatine knew, though, that this plan would fail miserably. The Team, as the HoloNet so affectionately calls them, would be unstoppable if working together, and while there was the chance Dooku could succeed in separating them and killing Kenobi, he would never be able to live after Skywalker found him. The boy was simply too strong and, after realizing his mentor was dead, too angry and persistent to allow Dooku to live. But none of the mattered, as Dooku would fail, and Sidious' plans would begin to come into fruition.

After he pulled his hood up and over his head, masking his identity quite well, he activated the holographic display in the desk and, using the encryption codes he changed every day for such messages, contacted Bane.

Once the form of the bounty hunter materialized, he gave a short bow of the head and said, "Is it time?"

"Yes." Sidious said menacingly

"Where am I to go, Sidious?" asked Bane, growing tired already of the old Sith Lord before him.

"You will go to Tythe, and wait for Dooku to return to his ship and eject the body. Once you have collected it, go to the nearest medical facility and bribe the staff to not utter a word as they handle the body. I'll arrive shortly thereafter and pay you in person."

"Fair enough. Your...body... will be yours soon enough, Sidious." Bane replied before severing the connection and shaking his head at the notion of simply capturing a body in space.

For some reason, the bounty hunter felt disappointed that the Sith Lord would give him such an easy job. He loved the paycheck at the end, and he liked that he finally got a break from the impossible missions he was so often given by clients, but this one felt as if it was below him.

He shook his head again and resolved that the paycheck at the end was all that mattered.

* * *

><p>7 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 22:12:5019:4 BBY

CSS _Redemption_, Orbit of Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

"Here, have another drink." offered Greg to Richard as the pair sat with their waiting friends in Greg's "hiding spot".

"Thanks." was his cool reply as he took a seat in one of the chairs facing the larger than average window in the room, overlooking the rest of the fleet and a portion of the planet.

Fred looked at his friend, finished his shot of whiskey he took while the pair was gone, and walked up to Richard to say, "You alright man? You seem... off."

"Yeah," piped in Francois, "You haven't acted this cold since I kicked your ass in poker."

"I said it before and I'll say it again, Frenchie." began Greg before drinking the last of his shot and turning to face Francois, "You really need to learn to shut the hell up."

Before either of the two could begin another one of their verbal battles, Richard looked up and said in a somber tone, "I brushed with death down there,"

He then pointed towards the blue green sphere through the window, then continued, "I saw so many die, for no reason other than simple misfortune. Why? Why did I live and they didn't?"

The three others looked down at the floor. Neither Greg, nor Francois could give him support there, considering they never brushed with death themselves. While they just finished what was their third battle in the war, their section of the ship was never hit, and they never came across the medical ward on their path to their station, bunks, or other areas of interest.

Fred, though, knew exactly what his friend was talking about, and, unable to think of anything else to do, picked up the bottle of whiskey still held loosely in Greg's hand and poured another shot before handing it to Richard. Richard looked at the small glass cup in his friend's hand, and took it, tentatively, before gulping the whole drink in one go. His face crunched up, and gave the rest I the group a much needed laugh at his less than stoic expression. Richard caught on with the laughter, and soon they were back to their joyful selves.

After another round of laughter at Greg's expense, Richard noticed out of the corner of his eye a medical frigate passing by. The ship was close enough that he saw the burn marks on the side, indicating where plasma rounds impacted and caused structural damage.

That glimpse, however brief, ended the joyful feeling he had just seconds ago. He was again reminded of the cruelty of war, exemplified in the dead eyes of his comrade who was lost just hours prior. Try as he might, he could not get the cold, lifeless eyes of Hector out of his mind, as they stared off into nothing, and simultaneously bored into his very soul. Silently, he thanked whatever god was out there that he was fighting droids, and wouldn't have to look into the eyes of someone he had to kill.

Fred noticed his friend no longer laughing, and followed his eyes to catch a brief glimpse of the medical frigate as it passed by the other end of the window and disappeared. Taking note of the blank expression on his face, he placed his hand gently on Richard's shoulder. When Richard was pulled out of his trance, he looked over to the person who was holding onto his shoulder, and saw the worried expression on Fred's own face.

Taking a note from past history, he picked up the bottle, now laying on top of a box close to Richard, and drank directly from the bottle itself. After finishing off the bottle, which only took him a mere two or so seconds because of how little left there was, he examined the bottle by placing it up to his eyes. He scanned it for a quick moment before placing it back on the box, and looked back at the group of friends, all with a look of shock at his achievement.

Richard just shrugged his shoulders, and dove back into the conversation they were just having.

Greg blinked a couple of time before saying to Richard, "You know you're buying me a new bottle of whiskey, right?"

Richard cocked his head up to the right, looking at seemingly nothing, and placed his hand to his chin as if deep in thought before responding, "I'll think about it." before giving a sly smile.

XXX

Orbit of Tythe, Tythe System, Savareen Sector

Count Dooku's stealth vessel just moments ago, dropped out of hyperspace, and the Count was busy working with the holotransmitter. His mission to Cato Neimoidia was as successful as he anticipated. Once he was certain the Viceroy was safely off the planet, he departed, expecting the council member to have finished clearing out his palace himself. While he wanted to discuss with Grievous the final parts of their assault on Coruscant, his master felt the need to try again to lure Skywalker to the Dark side.

_A pity_ he mused as he continued to tinker with the device, _Sidious actually thinks the boy is some value. He may be powerful, but he lacks control, and his raw emotions are going to be the death of Sidious long before it is the other way around._

Finally, when he was done tinkering with the device, he took a step back, and readied himself for his message.

Immediately, a hologram of a relatively young man with military cut hair bowed before the Count. His face was hung low, and his eyes were closed, as he submitted to his master.

"Rise, my apprentice. We have much to discuss." said Dooku while motioning with his hand for the young man, his apprentice, to rise.

Starkiller obeyed the command, and rose quickly to his feet to look at the Count and say, "What is thy bidding, my Master?"

"You are to come to Tythe, and assist me in destroying General Kenobi, and capture General Skywalker. With them gone, the Jedi will be unable to stand in our way as we usurp control from my Master,"

Starkiller allowed a small grin to form on his face, something malevolent, terrible, and evil to the core. Beneath Dooku's mask of power, he shivered at the sight of such a countenance, but forced it down. He was this boy's master, and he would maintain control over him. Until, of course, he was betrayed, as per traditional Sith customs. But that day was long off into the future.

"Do not be overconfident, my young apprentice. That was Skywalker's folly, and it lost him an arm. Losing so monumentally will not bode well for your life expectancy." Dooku said, trying to instill fear back into his apprentice.

"Yes, my master. I shall leave at once." Starkiller replied as he began turning away from the holotransmitter.

"Good." was all Dooku said as he severed the connection and stood back to look at the planet beyond.

It was a dead planet, long ago destroyed by some unimportant corporation. Some say its previous beauty used to rival that of Naboo, but no more, as all that remained were deserts and red pools of contaminated water. The only natural life left here is that of the microbe.

This would be the final resting place of Obi-Wan Kenobi, if Dooku's plan was to succeed. This was where Anakin Skywalker was to convert to the Dark Side of the Force. It seemed almost allegorical, how a planet that used to teem with life, but now barren, was going to be the place where the ideals of the Jedi would be replaced by those of the Sith, in the young man, and his soul would be as barren as these deserts.

How fitting.

XXX

CLASSIFIED, CLASSIFIED, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

"You know, sir," began the younger field agent as he continued to watch the flickering image of the Senator's apartment, "I'm not quite sure Mon Mothma is as noble as everyone makes her out to be."

"I think I agree with you on that, but let's leave our personal bias out of the annual report." was the older man's reply as he hovered over the screen of Senator Amidala's apartment, unable to find her.

The younger agent looked at his superior, and followed his possible gaze to the empty apartment of the senator.

The younger man let out a short almost content sigh, then said to his superior, "She's in the bathroom, I think. She's been feeling quite sick over the past couple of days, if you haven't noticed."

"No, I noticed." he replied as he averted his attention back to the younger man, "She also seemed to gain a little weight. Not much, but just barely noticeable. She also seems a bit more out of character. Not much, but enough to tell she's trying desperately to hide something."

The younger man's eyes went wide with the possible accusation, and he said in disbelief, "You don't think she's pregnant, do you?"

The older man's features remained stoic as he calmly replied, "We have to assume anything. I want you to find out if she went to a medical center to get checked out. If there's anything out of the ordinary for our noble senator, I want to know about it."

"Yes sir." was the younger man's quick reply as he swiveled the chair he was in to face an empty terminal, and began typing on the keyboard below, various images flashing before his eyes as he worked.

As the younger man continued to work, the older agent turned, and quietly walked to the threshold connecting the two, darkened rooms together.

He turned slightly to allow his voice to be heard properly as he said to his working partner, "Wake me when you find anything."

"Yes sir." the younger man replied automatically, emotion lacking in his voice as he was completely consumed by his search for the medical documents in question.

* * *

><p>8 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 10:42:5619:4 BBY

ONI Alpha Base, New Mombasa, Earth, Sol System, CSS Homeworld Sector

The sun was high in the sky, and its brilliant light was absorbed completely by the black walls of the ONI Alpha Base. Its smooth features and elegant design gave off the impression of power, and that's exactly what existed in the interior. Many already knew of the power ONI had, but few knew just how much they really possessed, and how much they wanted. Specifically Director Ruckus. High above the bustling city, Director Ruckus was patiently awaiting the news he has been expecting for weeks on end. The news he was expecting was something of great importance in his overall plans.

As he continued to tap his fingers on the smooth desk before him, the door on the other end of his office opened quickly, and an agent, whose name Ruckus cared little for, came through the threshold carrying a manila folder completely blacked out, without any discernible sign of labels. The tapping stopped immediately, and the agent walked, the thuds from his boots sounding off in regular intervals as he calmly walked to the director's desk. Once there, he placed the folder down, looked up into the eyes of the director through the black sunglasses, and nodded silently before turning heel and waling away as quickly as he came through.

Ruckus waited for the agent to close the door behind him, and once the door was closed, he tentatively opened the folder. Once the cover was laying on the desk, and the contents open to the world, Ruckus' heart began beating faster, before it quickly returned back to its normal pace. The first page in the folder simply said, _Operation REEMERGENCE. Mission Status: Success._

Ruckus allowed a devilish grin to escape his features as he continued to read through the contents, and found that his plans were going thorough better than expected. The point of no return was nearing, and he would be well prepared for when the time comes to do what must be done.

* * *

><p>Excerpt from Official Report Issued by Rtas Vadum, Secretary of Defense, 8 April 2587 (Released to General Population, 22 January 2598)<p>

It was assumed approximately twenty years ago that all remnants of the Covenant were utterly obliterated in the final days of the Great Schism. We believed that the last of the Prophets, the devils that they were, were extinct. We thought the galaxy would enjoy peace at last, free from the Covenant or the Flood. We were wrong.

On 8 April 2587, at around 2200 hours, in the far edge of the N'brala System, CSS Outer Colonies Sector 3, the civilian vessel _SS Nautilus IV_ (C6-429) noticed a slipspace disturbance some forty kilometers off his starboard bow. When cross checking with available ship logs for those in bound into the system, none were found that fit the location or time of the anomaly. As the captain, Lucas Taine (64), began getting the communications systems ready to contact the vessel, the unknown ship exited slipspace and began moving towards the _Nautilus IV_.

By his description, and handful of images provided by the outside camera, we can safely assume the vessel fits the description of a Covenant-Era _CCS_-class Battlecruiser. Captain Taine, who recognized the vessel as a Covenant warship, immediately attempted to contact the nearby Coalition garrison. Unfortunately, the ship in question was able to block his transmissions, and he was quickly boarded by hostiles. We are unaware of what species they were, what weapons they fired, or any other useful information that would need to be gathered, but we are certain they were fighting for the Covenant, and that this attack was planned.

While we are unaware of the specifics of the assault, we do know the hostiles in question departed back to their ship at 22:12, and left through slipspace at 22:14. At approximately 23:43, because the _Nautilus IV_ had yet to report in when needed to, an investigative team was sent. When they came across the footage to suggest that the Covenant Remnants were behind this, they immediately contacted FLEETCOM Sector-O3, and were sworn to keep all that they discovered a secret.

What is most interesting is that of the human crew, which consisted of five men, only four bodies were discovered in the area, with the fifth found near the exit that is assumed to be the point of entry for the attackers, a self-inflicted wound likely the cause of death. The implications behind this are quite severe, and we must make it our top priority to find the Covenant Remnants before they can discover any remaining Halos. All available assets are being directed to find the Covenant Remnant, and contact with Admiral Oku is currently underway. I believe that it would be best if we kept Oku in the Andromeda Galaxy, to keep pressure on the Confederacy while we devote the rest of our resources to search the galaxy in search of the Halo in question. Although it must be noted that his primary concern should be to make sure the Covenant Remnant does not infiltrate any of our operations in the Andromeda Galaxy, or launch an attack of their own, or make contact with the Confederacy of Independent Systems in any way. The ramifications would be disastrous for any and all of our operations, and prolong the war more than needed.


	10. Chapter 9: The Hunt Begins

Chapter 9: The Hunt Begins

8 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 07:05:32/19:4 BBY

Slipspace en Route to Cato Neimoidia

Ben was still plagued with the vision of the eyes of the captain, looking into his very soul, he assumed. His mind was focused on their intensity, and he wondered what he could do to gain more information on the good captain. If he stopped himself for a moment and analyzed what he was thinking, he would probably come to the conclusion that he was infatuated with the captain he just met. As a Spartan, he wouldn't know how to proceed. They never truly covered relationships in his training, save for the occasional lecture about forming attachments in the 'workplace' as they called it. Something about a distraction on missions. He never truly listened to those lectures. They seemed so obvious that he didn't feel any urgency in giving the commander any part of his consciousness as he focused on more important things.

As Ben continued to wrestles with these thoughts, he was suddenly awoken with the rest of his team by the klaxons, telling them they were about to exit slipspace, and needed to be ready. He ridded himself of those thoughts, he quickly joined his team as they began moving towards their discarded armor and putting it back on faster than anyone with any less training and experience would be capable of.

Within a handful of minutes, their armor was on and they departed their quarters in perfect formation, heading towards the bridge to be debriefed. The sound of their heavy feet marching in unison reverberated through the corridors, and the small crew still present in the hallways made room for the squad and saluted Ben as they passed. The squad leader returned the favor to the crewmen before passing them by, and allowing them to return to their duties.

As the squad neared the door to the bridge, and the entryway opened before them, they felt the familiar feeling of exiting slipspace, and caught a glimpse of the sight from the bridge window on the far side of the room. Ben only took note of the sizeable Republic task force orbiting the planet and the swirling white clouds covering the green planet before them.

Paying little more attention to the events just beyond the window, Ben neared the captain as she stood, leaning forwards slightly and resting he hands on the holographic display in front of her. She seemed keenly interested on the unfolding battle, and Ben made his footsteps slightly louder to ensure the captain heard their entrance. Ben noticed she shook her head slightly before turning and standing at perfect attention before the Spartans. Her eyes bespoke calculation and planning, even though she tried to remain as unemotional as possible in front of the Spartan. Before she even let loose with one word, Ben mentally questioned himself why he was seemed able to pick up on that so quickly.

"It seems most of the battle is directed away from the palace where we suspect Dooku to be, so it should be easy enough to slip in." O'Neil said as she looked from one Spartan to another, but spending slightly more time looking into the visor of Ben.

During the brief handful of seconds she was looking into his visor, his heart rate increased. It was as if he was in the heat of battle, and he felt adrenalin pumping through his veins at the simple look from the good captain. Yet again, he was perplexed by his own subconscious reaction.

While he was dealing with these musings, his head nodded by automatic reaction to the words from a superior officer, and before he knew it, he was moving towards her side to observe the same holographic table in front of them. The rest of Omega fell in behind him, and after several loud steps, they were before the lit table with O'Neil moving to the other side to better command their attention.

Captain O'Neil turned her head to look at the ensigns on the deck, and said, "Patrick, I would like our humble Jedi guests to join us. I don't feel like repeating myself."

Just as Ben expected, he heard the usual, "Yes ma'am" before the several seconds of furious typing into the console in front of the mysterious ensign.

Just as the typing seemed to stop, the two holographic representations of the famed Jedi Generals appeared before them on a separate display. The bandage General Skywalker was previously sporting appeared to be gone, but there seemed to be a darker pigment to his head where the bandage used to reside. Beyond that, though, the two appeared just as they always did, save for the headset they also wore just where their hairline ended and their foreheads began, with a communicator reaching down their right side to the front of their mouths.

"You commed, Captain?" asked Skywalker in his apparently usual smug tone.

"Yes, I did, General Skywalker. I don't feel like repeating myself." was her even replay, which drew a peculiar grin from Kenobi.

Before Skywalker could begin to formulate ways to verbally spar with the Captain, Kenobi said with a diplomatic tone, "Regardless, Captain O'Neil, may I ask if this is about any strategy you may have formulated?"

"As a matter of fact, it is, General Kenobi." she began before averting her gaze away from the famous pair and towards the holographic table in front of her, pushing a series of buttons before the display zoomed into a structure sticking out of the side of what appeared to be a mountain.

She then looked back up at the pair, and said, while motioning with her hands towards the building on display, "As you both probably already know, this is the palace of Nute Gunray."

"We will be infiltrating here," she said while pointing to a position on the other end of the mountain, lighting it up in a yellow blinking dot, "and move through the mountain in the emergency escape tunnels our intel says are there."

"Once inside," she then continued as the yellow dot turned into a line stretching from the origin to the point in the middle of the palace, "we will look around for anything of interest."

The hologram vanished immediately after this sentence, and she continued, "If possible, we will try to capture Gunray. He has to have invaluable information on the Separatist Council."

"One question." said one of the Spartans, whom Ben recognized as Greg, "Can we blow this palace up when we're done?"

"Do I even need to answer that, Spartan?" replied O'Neil, only the faintest hint of amusement in her voice.

"No ma'am. I'll take that as a yes." Greg replied evenly.

* * *

><p>8 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 07:21:5219:4 BBY

[500 Meters From] Gunray Palace Emergency Escape Tunnels, Cato Neimoidia, Cato Neimoidia System, Neimoidia Sector

Once the three craft had landed on a nearby flat cliff-side, the seven warriors began their journey up the trail to the nearest tunnel entrance. The walk was relatively long, so as to make sure they would not be discovered, and the chilly air did nothing but become a hindrance as the two Jedi had to cling to their robes to keep their warmth. The path they were walking on was a quagmire, and the Spartan's heavy feet quickly sunk into the mud. The two Jedi fared little better, but their experience in such environments allowed them to maintain their pace through the bog that was the treeless trail.

Finally, the group came within sight of the landing pad they were looking for, with the emergency tunnel entrance but twenty meters behind it. Anakin let out a labored sigh, turning his breath into a white cloud as soon as it left him, as he noticed the three squads of droids defending the entrance. He narrowed his eyes as he pulled out his lightsaber in preparation, and began mentally counting each droid he saw, and making notes of their patrol patterns.

Once he was done with his calculations, he turned to see Obi-Wan, his face as calm as always, looking in the same general direction with the Spartans aiming their targets and whispering into their com which droids were their targets. Obi-Wan concluded what he was doing as soon as Anakin glanced at him, and nodded to his former padawan, pulling out his own lightsaber in preparation.

He then shifted his body slightly to the right to look at the Spartans, and whispered, "Anakin and I will move from the side, and secure the watchtower over there." while pointing towards the ten meter high structure that housed three droids looking over the general area.

He then turned his focus back entirely on the group, and continued, "From there, we can sufficiently distract them as you work on opening that door. Understood?"

They all nodded in agreement, and the Spartans lowered their weapons while walking in a crouched position. They walked behind the two Jedi before peeling off and waiting behind a large boulder. The two Jedi, on the other hand, continued walking stealthily from cover to cover as droids periodically walked nearby or the watchtower took notice of their movements. But, the Force aided them, and within moments, they were at the base of the watchtower while all the droids were preoccupied looking at a rock that "mysteriously" flew and hit one of them in the head.

With the rest of the droids distracted, the two Jedi jumped with the help of the Force, and clung onto the railing of the top of the watchtower. Anakin turned his head to look at Obi-Wan, who had done the same, and nodded. Master Kenobi returned the nod, and the two quietly jumped and rolled in the air to land perfectly inside the watchtower. The droids didn't "hear" them as they landed, and they quietly walked the two meters dividing them before using the Force to tear apart the circuits on the inside of the droids. All three robots fell to the ground, but with the help of the Force, the two Jedi made that fall silent, and they lay slumped against the side of the railing.

With the droids out of the way, the two Jedi cautiously looked over the railing and took note of the droids still on their patrol. One squad was walking around the landing pad in a constant circle. Another squad was focused on doing a route running from the emergency entrance to the landing pad. The final squad walked along the edge of the small compound they were on.

Yet again, the pair glanced in the other direction, and as one would expect, Anakin had a smug grin spread across his features. Obi-Wan couldn't help but roll his eyes as Anakin returned his gaze to the general direction of the landing pad. The structure was elevated about one meter in the air, with one set of stairs on the far side, and was made up of support beams placed roughly half a meter apart from each other and roughly a quarter of a meter in width.

Anakin concentrated on the beams on the far side of the structure, and, using the Force, crushed the beams holding up the landing pad. With some of the support beams on the far side of the landing pad no longer able to support its weight, the pad fell onto the ground, sending a giant cloud of dust into the air.

All of the droids previously doing their patrols stopped, and looked around for whatever caused the disturbance. Ben, seeing this as the signal in question, stood and ran as the rest of Omega joined him. Once at the blast door, Ben turned to look at his squad, looking for one Spartan in particular.

"Ruse," he began, while motioning with his hands to the Spartan at the back of their formation, then towards the command console on the side of the door, "splice that thing and get us in."

Then, he turned to face away from the group and towards the door, as Ruse sprinted to the console and began typing furiously on the key pad.

Once Ruse said he was five seconds away from finishing, Ben put his hand up, palm facing the group, then pulled it down while making a fist, all while saying, "Everyone else, form up on me."

The rest of the Spartans did as instructed, and as Ruse said, the door opened up before them. Ben pulled up his rifle, and began examining the darkened tunnel before him with the rest of the Spartans. Quickly he began walking forward while still looking through his sights, and the rest of the Spartans fell in step behind him, with Ruse taking up the rear. Ben barely heard the sound of two, apparently light objects, landing outside the entrance, and turned to see the Jedi picking themselves up and joining the Spartans.

Ben turned back towards the darkened hallway, as one of the Jedi closed the door behind them with the Force. He took note of the fact that the hallway was a good thirty meters in width and twenty meters in height. Lights, hanging at the top center of the ceiling, were evenly spaced out by several meters, and connected by a thick black wire. The walls and floor looked cold, with duracrete as the floor itself. The lights were somewhat dimmed, but Ben was able to make out some cracks in the duracrete.

Ben returned his gaze back to the rifle sight, and saw that the tunnel went down a good hundred meters before making a sharp right turn. He looked around, noticing the rest of his Spartans had lowered their weapons and were walking at the leisurely pace, with the Jedi doing the same. Ben did the same, lowering his BR, and walked ahead of the group, looking around every so often to make sure the area was still clear. He simply couldn't shake the bad feeling he was having.

By the time they were halfway through the tunnel, Anakin announced for all to hear, "Wait." before stopping in his tracks.

Obi-Wan and the rest of the Spartans stopped, Obi-Wan pulling out his lightsaber, but not igniting it, and the Spartans raised their weapons and looked down their sights.

Obi-Wan leaned closer to Anakin, while still looking down the tunnel, and said, "Did you sense that as well?"

"Yeah. Do you think it's..." began Anakin before Obi-Wan interjected, saying, "probably."

"Do you mind if I ask?" asked Kim, who turned to look at the pair at the back of their formation.

"Greg, how good are you with that grenade launcher?" asked Anakin.

"I was the most accurate in my class. Why?" Greg replied before being answered with a thunderous series of rumbles, emanating from round the corner of the tunnel some forty meters away.

"That's why." was Anakin's calm, simple reply as a giant metal "leg" appeared around the corner, soon followed by the remainder of a large body, with a large turret sticking out of the front of the body, armor protecting each of the legs, and a lone red eye right below the turret.

"What the fuck is that?" yelled Ruse as the group raised their weapons, and prepared to fire on the monstrosity.

"Didn't you read the reports? This is an advanced dwarf spider droid." Obi-Wan said as he and Anakin ignited their blades while the Spartans began firing on the droid with their small arms.

As the droid began turning, Anakin said over the cacophony, "That's no use. That's cruiser grade armor. Your small arms won't do poodoo. Aim for the red light, Greg, with the grenade launcher. EMP won't do anything, so don't bother wasting them."

By the time Anakin was done, the droid was fully facing the group, and it sounded as if the turret was preparing to fire. Just before it was about to discharge, though, Greg pulled out his grenade launcher, and fired a fragmentation grenade at the red eye. The droid stumbled back several steps, giving the two Jedi ample opportunity to begin advancing o it.

Both of them were still twenty meters away before Greg fired another of his grenades at the red eye, causing the spider droids to take another couple steps back before hitting the wall. All the while, the rest of the squad was pouring fire into the red eye, hoping to bring down the droid.

Before any of them could claim victory over the droid, Anakin's blade sliced through the front right leg as Obi-Wan's sliced through the front left, sending the droid tumbling forward. Anakin then sliced upwards, cutting the turret in half, and Obi-Wan jumped on top of the beast, then drove his saber into the heart of the machine. The red light blinked for some time, and what was left of the droid began shaking violently. The two Jedi took this as their cue, and jumped away from the droid before it exploded violently, sending dirt into the air, and some loose chips of duracrete that was the ceiling falling all around.

The Spartans began sprinting to join the Jedi, and when close enough, Ben asked, "How did they know we were here?"

"That doesn't matter." was Anakin's reply before he continued, "All that matters is that we get to Gunray before he escapes."

"Agreed, now let's hurry. The entrance into the palace is only two hundred meters away from here." Obi-Wan said as he and Anakin extinguished their blades.

The Spartans lowered their weapons, and began sprinting with the Jedi towards the other end of the tunnel, all hoping they would reach Gunray before it was too late.

XXX

LiMerge Power Headquarters Building, Tythe, Tythe System, Savareen Sector

In the long abandoned headquarters of the relatively insignificant corporation awaited the famous political leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Outside, the air was cold, and his breath could be seen as a white cloud. His cape flew every which way from the wind, but his body never moved an inch form its place, as he waited patiently for his secret apprentice.

Finally, after much wait, a black dot appeared high above, and soon, it grew into the shape of a small stealth vessel. It descended through the atmosphere, and landed in front of the Count. The ramp lowered from the front, and a black cloaked figure descended, his cloak moving frantically in the wind. The mysterious figure, once in front of the Count, lowered himself onto one knee, and bowed his head in reverence.

"Rise, my apprentice." Dooku said, while motioning with his hand for his apprentice to rise.

Starkiller did as instructed, and lowered his hood to reveal his face for his master. Count Dooku turned heel and began walking towards the door behind him, with Starkiller following closely behind.

"The time is almost upon us, my apprentice." began Dooku as the door opened and the two crossed the threshold before the door closed behind them, sealing them off in the dimly lit, utilitarian looking, room.

"Soon, Master Kenobi and Knight Skywalker will come for us. And when they do, we will strike them down, before killing my master, and bringing order back to the galaxy." he concluded as he turned back again and looked stoically at his apprentice.

"I will not fail you, my master" Starkiller said in a low tone, before hearing the tell tale sound of a lightsaber ignition.

Knowing what this meant, he quickly shed his cloak and ignited his own crimson blade, holding it in his usual reverse grip. Dooku smirked evilly as he saluted with his lightsaber, his apprentice. Starkiller did the same, and soon, he charged forward, horizontally slashing at Dooku, who easily blocked the strike with a flick of his wrist. Starkiller turned around quickly and attacked form the other side with the same type of strike. Yet again, Dooku deftly blocked it, allowing the blade to rise above him. Starkiller pushed down, hoping to penetrate the Sith's upper defenses, but was unsuccessful.

Dooku smiled with malice, and Force pushed Starkiller away, but the apprentice was used to this attack, and spun in the air before landing on his feet. Yet again, Starkiller charged forward, furiously striking quickly against Dooku, who continued to block each one, but with more difficulty. Before either of them knew it, their sabers were locked, and they pushed with equal force against the other.

"You grow stronger, my apprentice. But there is still much room for improvement." Dooku said, emphasizing the last word as he pushed Starkiller away with his crimson blade, then extinguished his, prompting Starkiller to do the same.

XXX

Orbit of Tythe, Tythe System, Savareen Sector

While the two forces of evil battled each other, preparing for the upcoming engagement, a small stealth vessel escaped the confines of hyperspace and stopped itself many hundreds of thousands of kilometers away from the planet. Inside the ship, a blue skinned alien, with a deep, mechanical voice, stood from his place and began checking his ship. His black eyes darted from one thing to another on his command console, and he appeared satisfied when a grin escaped his features.

He then turned and began moving to the small cargo area of his ship. This was where the body was going to be kept, maintained in stasis by technology he had to acquire for this mission alone on Nar Shaddaa. The bounty hunter shook his head in mock amusement when recalling his little side-mission, when he had to track down a man deep in debt with the previous owner of this machine, and kill him. He often wondered why he was given the weirdest missions, but soon pushed that thought out when thinking of his paydays. Just a handful more of these missions, and he was set for life.

Now descending into his inner mind, a small grin continued to show on his face, and he felt no need to rid himself of it. Maybe he would track down Skywalker and kill that whelp on his free time. not much of a bounty, in comparison to others, like the venerated Senator Amidala, but why the hell not. That boy caused him enough problems, and taking away the poster boy for the Republic war effort seemed like it was something he could take interest in. It would certainly make the galaxy fear him, and possibly find him infinitely more work.

But, he resolved, he should worry about this mission first, then cross that bridge, with glee, when he comes to it.

XXX

Palace of Nute Gunray, Cato Neimoidia, Cato Neimoidia System, Neimoidia Sector

After the small trek, the group of seven found themselves in front of a blast door, with a orange holographic console to its right. Above the door, there was one set of red lights, which shone down on the metal blocking them.

Ben lowered his rifle with the rest of his squad, and turned to see the two Jedi with their eyes closed and appearing deep in thought. Omega squad waited for the two Jedi to get out of their trance before doing anything, periodically checking their surroundings to make sure they were not going to be disturbed.

Then, suddenly, both their eyes opened at once, and they looked at each other for the briefest of moments before returning their gaze to the squad of supersoldiers.

"Did you sense any..." began Obi-Wan.

"No. You?" interjected Anakin before his former Master could finish his statement.

"No." was Obi-Wan's simple reply, which seemed to have satisfied Anakin, but left the Spartans speechless, wondering how these two could know what the other was thinking.

Ben coughed lightly, garnering the attention of the two generals, before saying, "I'm assuming the area beyond is clear of hostiles."

"You assume correctly, Sergeant." Anakin said before turning to Ruse, motioning towards the console, and saying, "Do you mind?"

"Not in the least, sir." Ruse replied as he placed his weapon on the magnetic clamps on his back and walked towards the console.

The two Jedi holstered their lightsabers, knowing there wasn't any discernible threat, and waited the ten seconds for Ruse to finish his work. The Spartan worked, typing away on the console with speed and precision that took years to hone, before the red light above the door turned green, and it automatically opened for the group.

As the door opened, the Spartans, raised their weapons, and Ruse pulled his assault rifle off his back, looking down the sight, waiting for any enemies to emerge. Behind them, the two Jedi shook their heads in amusement, and walked casually forward and into the seemingly well lit room. The Spartans walked in step behind them, scanning the room for any threats that could possibly emerge.

The room itself was nothing more but a long hallway, with a regular set of doors at the far end some thirty meters away. To the door's left, on the opposite wall, was another set of doors, but that was it. The walls themselves were a royal purple color, with lights beaming from elegantly shaped lamps on the upper portion of the walls. Amongst the purple coloring was a curvaceous golden design.

Moving from casual walk to a sprint, the Jedi moved to the other end of the hall, stopping some three meters from the door on the far end. The Spartans were right behind them, always keeping themselves ready, but seeing nothing that posed a threat. When the Jedi stopped, the Spartans skidded to one as well, and looked curiously behind their helmets at the two Jedi, who seemed to contemplate the path they should take.

"The intel says to go straight. What are we waiting for?" asked Ben, as he stepped closer to Obi-Wan.

The reply was some moments later, and came from Anakin, who said with his eyes closed, "There's something important to or left. I don't know what, but it's something very valuable."

Ben waited for more information, but received none, so he concluded, "We can go forward, and capture Gunray, if he's still here."

"Splitting up could be a bad idea." Obi-Wan said, his eyes now open and his body turned to face the Spartans.

"Considering you guys think this is important, I don't see how we could have much of a choice. If we go forward, someone could destroy whatever's in there while we're gone. If he storm into this room to find whatever's important together, Gunray's chances of escape rise exponentially." reasoned Ben, as he took a step past the Jedi and towards the door in front of them.

"Then it's settled." Anakin piped in, as he walked towards the door to their left and opened it with the Force.

Obi-Wan was soon to follow, and the Spartans took this as their cue, moving towards the door before them, and opening it tentatively. They stormed in, in classic breach and clear maneuvers, scanning every corner for possible hostiles, but finding none. The door opened up to reveal a large room, with the same wall design as the hallway, but with a dual staircase at the forefront of the room, leading to a set of doors on a second story. The room was made up of four columns, forming a square, and all a light marble, with a gold designs making up their bases.

Suddenly, a squad of eight B1 and four B2 droids burst through the door with an explosion, and began firing on the squad of Spartans. The Spartan's reflexes were quicker, as they dove behind the columns, Ben and Greg taking up the one on the right, Kim, Ruse, and Ron taking up the one on the left. Ron began sniping the battle droids, as the rest fired their rifles on the oncoming enemies, who were quickly descending the dual staircases and taking cover behind its railings.

The first shot from the sniper rifle was low, and took off the frontal armor of the B2, leaving some circuits somewhat damaged, but the droid itself was intact overall. The second shot, mere milliseconds later, tore through the exposed wiring, and devastated the droid, causing it to fire randomly, hitting a B1 before slumping against the top railing, dead. Ron continued this pattern on another B2, which had occupied the space its brother previously fired from, while concentrated fire from Greg and Kim brought down another, which was already on the ground floor and advancing at a casual pace towards them.

With three of the B2's out of commission, the last one fired its heavier caliber plasma bolts at Ben, while he was out of cover and shooting at it. His shields held, but only at 40% once the third bolt hit him, and he instinctively returned to cover. Greg, took this as his opportunity, and popped out of cover from his side of the column, moving slightly over to get a good shot before firing a burst of twenty some odd rounds from his assault rifle, obliterating the inner workings of the large blue monstrosity before is fell with a distinct thud, electricity snaking out of its wounds and connecting with the ground before disappearing entirely.

With the major threats out of the way, the Spartans made quick work of the weak B1's, and with the area clear, advanced up the staircase. They peered into the exposed room, finding no more hostiles waiting for them, and advanced through the threshold and into an open atrium of sorts. It was closed off from the outside, with a massive glass dome at least a hundred meters into the air, and plant life seemed to flourish here. Some of the vegetation seemed to be less than half a meter in height, or some forty meters high, and everything in between. It reminded the Spartans of the tropical rainforests they spent part of their training in all those years ago.

"Well Francis, any input as to where to go." Ben said to his A.I., who had spent the mission thus far silent, just as Ben preferred.

"The palace schematics show an entranceway seventy-five meters straight ahead, through this little jungle you've discovered. I advise you go through there and make sure Gunray didn't leave us just yet." Francis replied before displaying a blue holographic arrow on all the Spartan's HUD's indicating the direction they were to follow, as well as the distance left to traverse.

"Alright Spartan's form up on me." Ben said while making the same motion as before with his available left hand and moving forward, brushing past some low hanging foliage.

As the Spartans were busy traversing the jungle Gunray seemed to have installed in his palace for some absurd reason, the two Jedi found themselves looking through a myriad of various gadgets they just discovered. Most of them were the usual exotic blaster pistol Gunray may have handled once in his life, or an elegant painting, but none of them peeked their interest. Nothing, that is, until they came across a peculiar device tucked away in a corner, purposefully out of the way.

Anakin moved closer to the unusual object, only noticing it by chance. It seemed to be metallic, with an intricately designed body, and various buttons adorning it. Three spiderlike legs protruded from this central structure, two larger ones in the back, one smaller one in the front, but were curled up, probably from deactivation.

"Master, is this what I think it is?" Anakin asked as he picked up the surprisingly heavy object and placing it in the well lit center of the room.

Obi-Wan turned to spy what his former padawan discovered, and inhaled a quick breath upon the sight. His eyes scanned the device, taking in every detail to confirm his suspicion.

"Yes Anakin, it is." Obi-Wan replied as he stepped closer to the device, and knelt down beside his young friend, whose sole focus seemed to be the device in question.

Anakin let out a long, almost frustrating sigh, before saying, "I'll com the Spartans, and see if they found Gunray yet. Then we should tell the Council and any ONI or Republic Intelligence in the system."

"Agreed." Obi-Wan simply replied without emotion as he continued to stare at the metal contraption in front of him.

Anakin then stood, turned away from his former master and took several steps away before pulling the com unit up to his mouth. He tuned in the frequency, then waited a moment to see if he could find the answer himself before he bothered the Spartans. He searched the Force for Gunray's signature, but only found a cold trail where he had once been. Anakin couldn't tell the exact time, but he knew Gunray was already gone before they arrived.

Anakin mentally scolded himself for not searching earlier before pulling out his long range communications device. After tweaking with it for some time, the familiar hologram of Master Yoda appeared before him.

Anakin gave a short bow of the head while saying, "Master Yoda, I have some important news."

The ears of the little green creature rose slightly, and he asked, "Discover something, have you, Knight Skywalker?"

"Yes Master. We found a mechno-chair used by Gunray. It could still contain information pertaining to the Dark Lord we've been looking for."

"Notify Republic Intelligence, as well as ONI, you must. Do more, you shall not. Continue with your mission, you will." Yoda said, before severing the connection, leaving Anakin wishing he brought Artoo with him to help crack open what was inside the chair.

Then, the thought occurred to him, as he replaced his long range com unit with that of the short range one he had earlier.

He placed the com unit up to his mouth, and said with some measure of excitement, "Omega, stop whatever you're doing. We need you here ASAP."

"Are you under attack, sir?" Ben said, with some measure of surprise.

"No, but I need the expertise of your A.I." Anakin said.

"Please, General Skywalker, don't inflate his ego." Ben replied dissatisfaction.

"Duly noted, Sergeant." Anakin responded before severing the connection, and walking back to Obi-Wan, who was looking at his former padawan quizzically.

"Do I even want to know Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked as Anakin neared him again.

"Yes, I think you would, Master. We can use their A.I. to hack into the chair, and discover who used it, when they used it, to whom they sent communiqués, and some important codes for encrypted channels."

XXX

Chancellor's Suite, Senate Building, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

"You mean to tell me Gunray, that you simply _left_ the mechno-chair, which, might I add, contains all of our personal discussions, back at your now abandoned palace, for everyone Republic-related to discover?" Sidious said angrily, every word conveying more rage than the last.

"Your apprentice made it quite clear that there wasn't much time before the palace would be attacked. Besides, Sidious, there's nothing to worry about. The mechno-chair will self-destruct if anyone tried to tamper with it." Gunray said confidently, raising his chin, before bringing it back down under the invisible gaze of the Dark Lord.

"If they discover who I am, and begin hunting me down, I will personally see to it that you pay for your incompetence." Sidious crackled before severing the connection, and throwing the device he just used at a wall with the Force, shattering it into thousands of pieces upon impact.

Before any other objects in his office could meet a similar fate, Sidious controlled his anger, trying to make sure that he didn't make the Jedi more suspicious than they already were.

"I cannot wait to kill you Gunray, you incompetent fool." he said to himself before ridding himself of his dark cloak and returning to his facade of a job as Chancellor.

XXX

Palace of Nute Gunray, Cato Neimoidia, Cato Neimoidia System, Neimoidia Sector

Anakin continued to examine the device before him, the team of Spartans arrived through another doorway that neither Jedi used to enter. They examined the room with their weapons, looking at every corner to make sure there were no hostiles. Upon the sight of the kneeling Jedi, and the strange device they seemed to be examining, they lowered their weapons and approached.

"You called General?" Ben asked as he stopped and stood a meter behind the two Jedi.

"Yes." Skywalker began, "May I see Francis for a moment?"

"I don't see why not." Francis replied in Ben's helmet, before the Spartans moved his hand behind his head, looking for the slot that held his artificial friend.

Once the small metal device was in the fingers of the Spartan, he soon outstretched his hand and dropped it into the open palm of Skywalker, who readily accepted it. Once in his hands, a miniscule holographic representation of the revolutionary soldier stood before them all, and gave a curtly bow to the two Jedi.

Obi-Wan said to the A.I., "Francis, we need access to this device. Would you be able to hack into it, and open whatever's inside?"

The small hologram clutched his heart, and appeared as hurt as an A.I. could appear, before responding, "Sir, I'm offended you even need to ask."

He then removed his hand from his heart, and outstretched it towards the strange device before disappearing once his hand made contact. For several long, tense moments, the group waited, saying not a word, and anticipating anything to occur.

Then, suddenly the A.I. reappeared on the metal disk, and looked at the group, before saying, "You will find this interesting. I know where the Ace of Spades has been contacting the Separatists while in hiding."

The expression on the two Jedi's faces were priceless, as far as the A.I. was concerned, and he waited several moments to savor it.

"Well." Anakin said, now irritated that the A.I. failed to continue, and beginning to understand why Ben wasn't a fan of his small companion.

"The Works, on Coruscant." Francis said simply, allowing the already wide eyes of the Jedi to grow even wider upon this realization.

After a log silence, Anakin finally said with absolute conviction, "That's impossible! We would have sensed him!"

"That data doesn't lie." Francis replied evenly.

"We must report this to the Council as soon as possible." Obi-Wan said, his voice even, but his face showing how troubled he truly was.

"Can you tell who it is?" Ben asked, as he neared the Jedi, and plucked his A.I. out of Anakin's hand.

"No. I already ran voice recognition, and there are too many candidates to draw any accurate conclusions."

Before Ben placed the A.I. back in his helmet, Anakin asked the blue hologram, "Did you find out where Dooku went?"

"All it says is he went into the Savareen Sector. It'll take some time to locate where exactly, though." the A.I. responded.

As Ben slide the A.I into the back of his helmet, Obi-Wan and Anakin stood up, and asked, "Did you find anything worthwhile here?"

"No." Ben replied simply and evenly.

"Well then, no point in sticking around here." said Obi-Wan before the whole lot of them began making their way back the way they came and to the fighters or transport they came in.

* * *

><p>8 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 13:28:5219:4 BBY

High Council Chamber, Jedi Temple, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

Coruscant Prime was shinning dimly through the cloud cover over Coruscant, particularly the Jedi Temple, casting a darkened, dimmed light into the chamber of the Jedi High Council. At this time, only two masters were present in the flesh, as all the rest were away on the front lines, arriving for the regular meeting through hologram. In the middle of the circle of chairs that made up the furnishings of the chamber, under the scrutiny of ll the masters before them, stood the two Jedi generals that achieved galactic-wide fame over the past three years.

"Masters, We have reason to believe that the Dark Lord is on Coruscant as we speak." Obi-Wan's hologram said to the assembled Council.

"Come across this information, how have you?" Grandmaster Yoda asked, leaning forwards slightly and allowing his hand to rest on the top of his gimer stick.

"While searching for Nute Gunray and Count Dooku on Cato Neimoidia, we came across a mechno-chair used between the Dark Lord and Gunray. The A.I., Francis, that accompanies us, was able to discover where the signals from the Dark Lord originated from, and they seem to be the Works." Obi-Wan explained, as the rest of the Council nodded their heads in grim understanding.

"Unfortunate, this news is. Sensed this, we should have. Blind, we are, if this thick, the shroud of the Dark Side is over our eyes." Yoda said grimly, his ears drooping and his head hung low forlornly.

Anakin chose to pipe in at this point, by saying, "Master, there is no point in dwelling on our shortcomings. We must focus on finding the Dark Lord while we can, before it's too late."

Yoda was genuinely surprised to hear this from Skywalker, but that mood was quickly quenched when he continued, "It is my honest opinion that Master Kenobi and I return to help in the search."

Obi-Wan's hologram turned to face Anakin, as Master Windu said in response, "No Knight Skywalker. We need you both out there to find Dooku before he strikes again."

A look of disappointment came upon Anakin's face as he bowed his head in defeat and said, "Yes, Master."

Yoda made a note of it to meditate on why Skywalker would want to return to Coruscant so suddenly, before saying "Over, this meeting is. Return to your duties, you all must." as the holograms of each master, and that of Obi-Wan and Anakin disappeared.

Once everyone was gone, save for Mace and Yoda, the dark skinned master turned to his green colleague and asked, "Why would Skywalker want to return to Coruscant so quickly? I thought he enjoyed the thrill of battle."

"Know not, I do, of Skywalker's change in heart. Unsuspected, but welcome, it is. Meditate on it, I will." Yoda replied as he allowed himself to be lowered on the floor from his comfortable chair and made his way to his quarters to mediate on the matter.

XXX

CSS _Invisiblis_, Orbit of Cato Neimoidia, Cato Neimoidia System, Neimoidia Sector

As the holograms of the High Council disappeared before the two Jedi, Obi-Wan turned to his former padawan, and asked, "Why are you so insistent on us returning to Coruscant?"

Anakin turned to face his older friend, and replied with whisper, "Because, Master, I can't very well protect my wife if I'm all the way out here."

"Protect her from what, Anakin? Coruscant is the most heavily guarded Republic world. The Separatists would be mad to attack it." Obi-Wan inquired in a hushed voice.

"I don't like the thought of Padmé on the same world as that evil bastard. She's in enough danger as it is." Anakin replied.

"I'm sure it's fine, Anakin. It's not like the Sith Lord knows of your relationship." Obi-Wan said hopefully, but soon felt that shattered when Anakin didn't reply.

"He doesn't know of your relationship, right?" Obi-Wan said, concern now flowing through him like blood.

Anakin appeared distant as he replied, "No. You, and Ahsoka are the only ones that know of it, but I could guess that Captain Typho and Padmé's most trusted handmaiden, Dormé, know as well. But last I checked, neither are Sith lords."

"You seem uncertain." Obi-Wan pressed, as he neared his 'brother' and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's just, if the Sith Lord is able to hide himself form the whole High Council for years on end, we can't assume anything." Anakin replied nervously.

"It's okay, Anakin. We'll find Dooku soon enough, and you'll finally be able to stay on Coruscant as long as your heart desires." Obi-Wan said optimistically, but unconvincingly.

"I hope so, Master. Every day without her I endure the unendurable." Anakin said sadness beginning to show on his face.

"Let's return to our fighters. I believe the Fourteenth and Open Circle are shipping out soon, and we are going to be needed." Obi-Wan said, changing the subject with an optimistic grin while leading Anakin back to the hanger bay.

"Sure. I need to blow something up to take my mind of this subject anyway." Anakin said with a slight grin, but still seemed distant, as the two exited the room and began walking down the small hallway.

Obi-Wan just shook his head in amusement before turning a corner with Anakin and trekking towards the large blast doors separating the two Jedi form the hanger bay.

While the two Jedi where making their way to the hanger bay, the Spartans had dismissed themselves form the bridge, and began walking towards their quarters. During their entire meeting, Ben had found himself focusing almost entirely on the captain, and on nothing else. It was only when prompted to speak that he did so, but he made his answers short to allow himself to return to his reverie. None of the other Spartans took note of this, save for Ruse, who was intrigued by the actions of his superior officer. Somehow, the other Spartan knew something was off, and planned on finding out.

As the team of Spartans began filing out of the room, Ruse caught up with Ben, who seemed several paces ahead of everyone else, and out his hand up to his superior's shoulder. Ben turned to look at the Spartan, and raised his eyebrow behind his visor at the usual action his comrade was committing.

Finally, Ruse said in a hushed voice, "Sir, may I have a word with you in private?"

Ben regarded his brother-in-arms for a moment, before replying, "Of course, Ruse." before turning and motioning for the rest of his team to move on.

They all complied, and once the hallway was empty of all onlookers, Ruse continued in his hushed voice, "Sir, are you alright. I noticed you seemed off about something."

Ben remained stoic both in voice and countenance while saying, "I'm fine, Ruse, but thank you for asking." before trying to turn, but was stopped by Ruse's hold on his arm.

"Sir, I know something is off. This is informal. There is no need to hide something." Ruse reasoned as his grip held firm on his comrade's arm.

Ben continued calmly, berating himself for acting so distant in the company of the good captain, while he said, "Ruse, I assure you, there is nothing wrong."

"Sir, I need to know what has you troubled. It may effect your combat effectiveness." Ruse continued to reason, trying to reach Ben's logical mind and extract whatever information he could.

Before either of the two could continue, the door to the bridge opened, and the captain walked through. She gave a curtly nod to both the Spartans, but her gaze lingered on Ben. The Spartans stiffened as she walked by, her strides giving off the impression she was calm and collected.

Once the captain was out of sight, Ruse looked at his friend, and noticed how silent he was, and did a quick check with his HUD to find his heart rate accelerated since their conversation began. Behind his golden visor, Ruse sported a mischievous grin.

"Does it have something to do with the captain?" Ruse asked, trying to hide his amusement.

Ben looked back at the Spartans sharply, before replying, "What would give you that idea?" with an overall calm tone, but the undercurrent of irritation was evident to Ruse's trained ears.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'. And if experience tells me anything, I could say she has something for you as well. Have you noticed how her eyes always linger on you, singling you out of the group?"

"You're mad, my friend." Ben said with amusement, but inside, his mind was racing with thought on ow to get out of this situation.

"Sure I am. Just talk to me if you want to pursue anything with the good captain. I wouldn't want to left out of this." Ruse goaded before he began walking away.

"Stop!" Ben ordered the Spartan, who complied automatically.

"You are to tell no one of your suspicions. Understood?" Ben said, with a commanding tone, giving no room for bartering.

"Yes sir." Ruse said evenly, as he always tried to do when ordered.

"Good. I will come to you if I see fit, but whatever is said in confidential. I'll kill you myself if you say anything, and threaten her career." Ben threatened while pointing a finger at Ruse's visor, putting it mere centimeters from the golden material.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, sir." Ruse said, with an air of amusement before continued his walk.

As Ben rounded the corner, he found the captain in question standing just around it, a satisfied expression on her face. Beyond, he saw Ruse continuing his walk, but talking his time evidently with his small strides, probably hoping to hear at least part of what was going to be said.

"Well Sergeant, is what is proposed by one of your soldiers true?" she asked, her smile bringing Ben inexplicable inner joy.

Ben replied as calmly as he could, "Yes ma'am."

Her smile only widened as she continued, "Well then, Sergeant, I would be honored if you may join me for dinner."

"The honor would be mine, Captain, but please call me Ben." Ben replied.

"Only if you call me Alicia , Ben," Alicia replied before winking and turning around to walk away.

"Of course, Alicia." Ben said, mostly to himself, before waiting a moment to walk away to his quarters, a joy he seldom felt coming to his heart.

XXX

CSS _Redemption_, Orbit of Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

"Sir, we have confirmation that Omega team and Generals Kenobi and Skywalker are en route to our current position, and will be here in another eight hours." one of the ensigns said to Oku, as he stood over the bridge.

For the past several hours the fleet had been on standby, with the evacuation of the planet complete, now they all simply awaited the return of the two Jedi generals to begin offensive operations again. Silently, Oku cursed the Chancellor and the Jedi Council for requesting they assist in operations in Saleucami. He had been hoping through the last several days to return to the city, and enjoy the night-life again. But he had a duty to preform, and he would do so with distinction and grace. As the silence continued, Oku walked over to the com station on the bridge, and cleared his throat before beginning whatever he was about to say.

"Attention fleet. We will embark on our next mission in just under eight hours. The next target is Saleucami, where our Republic brothers have been struggling for months to dislodge the Confederate defenses, so get whatever rest you can, while you can." he announced over the fleet wide com unit before placing the device down and making his way to his own quarters.

**Note: No Sector was provided for Cato Neimoidia, so I guessed it might be Neimoidia sector, considering its proximity to Neimoidia. If I'm wrong, I'm sorry if I offended someone. And I noticed some of you want to see the old Covenant Supercarriers. You'll enjoy the next chapter.**


	11. Chapter 10: Forgotten Enemy

Chapter 10: Forgotten Enemy

8 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 21:14:27/19:4 BBY

CSS _Invisiblis_, Slipspace en route to Boz Pity

Their dinner had concluded some time ago, and now the couple had taken a leisurely stroll through the ship, either talking amiably or listening to the machinery making the vessel function. The stroll now took them to a white-wash hallway, with a row of doors lining both sides of the hall, and a sterile light bathing the expanse. The captain, who had chosen to dress in a less formal, civilian attire she kept in case the need arose, walked up to the first door to her right, and began keying in a sequence of numbers that Ben didn't bother to see. Ben himself was dressed in his official naval regalia, which consisted of a dark blue jacket and pants, with the latter of the two having a yellow line divide it down the outer side. On his left breast, several medals he received over the years hung in place, shining brightly in the light. His skin was relatively pale from the lack of exposure to sunlight, and his brown hair had grown somewhat from the last time he cut it, giving it no more than two inches before abruptly ending. It seemed the ends of his strands of hair were attempting to curl around, but had little success.

His light brown eyes continued to follow the captain as she finished the sequence of numbers, allowing the door to slid open, revealing a dark room, whose only source of illumination was from the hallway they were standing in now. She stood motionless for a moment, before turning to face the Spartan, a smile gracing her features, and he eyes speaking of desire.

"Well Ben, that was certainly a fine dinner." Captain O'Neil said, he smile growing wider slightly, almost imperceptibly

"Please Alicia, the pleasure was all mine." Ben said with a curtly bow to the captain, his intense gaze never leaving her eyes.

"I would love to do this again sometime, Ben." she said with the makings of a mischievous smile beginning to grace her features.

"As would I."Ben replied, his kind smile never leaving, but beneath, his heart was racing, and his mind was thinking of only one thing.

"Well, until that time." she said in return, before leaning forward and standing on her tip-toes, giving a gentle kiss to the imposing figure before her.

During the brief moment together, Ben leaned in, and intensified the kiss, which Alicia apparently happily allowed. Their lips parted, and their tongues worked to gain control over the other, and both Captain and Spartans found themselves in relative paradise.

Unfortunately, Alicia's senses came back to her, and she broke off the kiss, while maintaining her smile, before turning and giving Ben a coy smile and a seductive wave of her hand. Before Ben could get the wrong impression, the door slid shut, and he was standing motionless outside the door, his own smile of satisfaction remaining. His smile only grew wider as he began walking away back to his quarters, and his mind drifted to that short, sensual moment. He was in that mental state for the remainder of the night, and sleep found him quickly.

* * *

><p>9 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 00:36:4119:4 BBY

CSS _Redemption_, Orbit of Boz Pity, Boz Pity System, Halla Sector

Admiral Oku, for the past several hours, was attempting to get as much sleep as possible for the upcoming battle. He had read all the intelligence reports given to him, and knew all too well this was going to be a bloody engagement for his forces. According to the reports, the Separatists had been cloning Morgukai warriors to try to tip the balance of the war in their favor. Never hearing of these warriors, Oku spent the last of his conscious time researching them, and found them to be capable warriors, able to defeat even seasoned Jedi. This thought left the admiral wondering how his troops, or even Spartans, would fare against these mighty foes. The fact that they would be facing off against hundreds of thousands of Separatists droids did not help his resolve.

As Oku continued to dream, his alarm sounded, and he quickly found himself standing up at attention. He shook his head, and walked into his bathroom, to prepare himself. Once the admiral was done some ten minutes later, he quickly put on his formal naval regalia and made his way to the bridge of the supercarrier. Even though he took the shorter, more traveled route, he still found only a handful of troops moving about, all of whom saluted him, of course.

Once he passed the threshold and entered the well lit bridge, he made several long strides and stood confidently in front of the holoprojector. He gazed out of the large viewport at the front of the room, and followed several ships of his fleet as them moved around, preparing for their next jump into slipspace. So enamored was he in the show of power just beyond the window that he failed to hear as one of his subordinates tried to garner his attention.

Finally, somehow, the ensign got the attention of the admiral, and he said to his ranking officer in a cultured voice, "Sir, we should be expecting the _Invisiblis_ and our two Jedi to arrive any time now."

Oku turned his attention to the average height officer before him, and said to the Caucasian male, "Excellent. I want Captain O'Neil and our Jedi Generals patched through as soon as they enter the system."

"It will be done, sir." replied the officer before he walked back to his post and returned to his previous duties, of which Oku did not care enough to find out exactly what they were.

For the next several minutes, Oku spent his time observing the fleet, as it moved about into its traditional wedge formation. His ship remained at the forefront of the formation, and allowed the admiral to get an unobstructed view of the space beyond, dotted by distant stars, for the most part.

His reverie ended, though, when an ensign reported to him, saying, "Sir, the _Invisiblis_ is in system, as are the two Jedi Interceptors. I'm patching them through now."

Oku took this as his cue, and took a step back from the holoprojector, as he waited for the familiar forms of the Captain O'Neil, the two Jedi generals, and Ben to form before him. He did not have to wait long, as their holograms appeared before him seconds after the previous announcement.

As he expected, the four forms appeared, with Captain O'Neil in the middle left, flanked by Ben, Obi-Wan to her left, and Anakin to the far right. They all bowed reverently, save for Ben, who simply gave a nod to the admiral.

Then, once that was done with, O'Neil spoke first, saying, "Admiral Oku, Captain O'Neil of the _Invisiblis_ reporting foe duty."

"Hello Captain. Let's skip the formalities and get the point." Oku began, making Skywalker and O'Neil grin, with Kenobi remaining stoic.

"We will be departing for Saleucami as soon as your ships enter our formation. The Republic forces there have made little progress over the past two months, and we're going in ensure the battle goes our way." Oku continued.

"If that is all, Admiral, we will be in your formation in a matter of ten minutes." O'Neil reported before looking off screen to order something to her crew.

"Saleucami, that's a sixteen hour trip, is it not?" inquired Skywalker.

"It is General. Does that pose a problem?" Oku asked in return, raising an eyebrow at the younger man's question.

"No Admiral," Anakin began with an amiable smile and a wave of the hand, "but may I ask what our next destination may be after this engagement?"

"I'm glad you asked, General." Oku began, "We'll be departing for the Savareen Sector once this mess is over with. Our objective will be to locate and apprehend Count Dooku."

Anakin allowed a smile to grace his features as he said, "Excellent. The sooner we have that traitor in custody, the better."

"Agreed." Oku began with a short nod before retuning his attention to the rest of the group, "If that is all?"

The rest of the holograms nodded in agreement, and soon, they all blinked out of existence. As Captain O'Neil said, her ship moved as quickly as it could, and within a handful of minutes, was waiting next to the _Redemption_. While the _Invisiblis_ was moving at top speed, the two Jedi Interceptors were also moving, and soon found themselves in the hanger bay of the _Resolute_, which was on the far right of the wedge formation.

With everyone in place, Oku turned to his bridge crew, and said, "Issue the order to enter Slipspace."

With this order in mind, he bridge crew went to work, informing the rest of the fleet. Within seconds, the first portals opened up, and the Republic fleet departed into hyperspace. They were quickly followed by the 14th, and once again, the space above Boz Pity was empty of all foreign vessels.

* * *

><p>9 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 04:19:3919:4 BBY

CLASSIFIED, CLASSIFIED, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

"Sir, I got that report medical report you asked for." the younger agent said enthusiastically as he turned his chair to face away from the terminal and towards the older agent, who had woken up mere minutes ago.

He turned back to make sure he was correct, then reverted his gaze to the older man as he said, "Your suspicion was correct. Our noble senator is pregnant with twins."

"Do we know who the father is." the older agent said evenly as if unaffected by the news.

"No, but I have a good guess." the younger man said as he turned to face the terminal again, before pulling up some files he acquired over the past several hours.

"It appears that four months ago, when our dear senator would have had the conception, she was on leave on Naboo, under the protection of Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight. It also so happens that whenever this very same Knight comes to Coruscant, the security cameras in the senator's private suite in 500 Republica are no longer functional." he said with a roguish grin.

The older agent waited to see if his younger counterpart had any more to say, before coolly replying, "Are you insinuating that the Hero With No Fear is the father?'

"That I am sir." the younger one said confidently.

"It makes sense." the older agent said while stroking the beard he didn't have, before continuing, "Mention that in the next report, but advise we don't inform anyone. We can use this as blackmail."

"Yes sir." the younger man said before turning his full attention back to the terminal.

* * *

><p>9 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 09:31:5419:4 BBY

Chancellor's Suite, Senate Building, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

"Lord Tyrannous, how goes your stay on Tythe?" Sidious asked, his voice dripping with malice with even these pleasantries.

"Well, thank you Master. What is thy bidding?" Dooku said, his hologram shimmering slightly before refocusing.

"How is the progress with our friends in the Milky Way?" Sidious asked while forming a menacing grin beneath the hood.

"We received word they are en route to Saleucami, and will aid us in breaking the Republic blockade. Your plan is working out perfectly, my master." Dooku replied, his aristocratic tone now carrying an undercurrent of arrogance.

"Excellent. This will surely bring our plans back on their course." Sidious replied before faking a wicked frown and continuing, "Now my apprentice, why have you planned on betraying me?"

"How do you mean, Master?" Dooku asked, his eyebrow raised and his voice strong in conviction.

"I know of the apprentice you have hidden from me. If you wish to live to see the fruition of my plan, than you will do as I say." Sidious ordered, taking note of the almost indistinguishable twitch of Dooku's nose, showing his irritation at being discovered.

"What are your commands, my master?" Dooku asked, with no small amount of irritation evident in his voice.

"You will travel into the vacuum of space after this transmission with your apprentice, under the guise of sending him off on another one of your missions. You will stab him with your lightsaber and leave dump him into the vacuum to ensure he dies. Understood?" Sidious said.

Dooku suppressed a sigh as he said, "Yes, my master. It will be done." before severing the connection.

Beneath the hood Sidious continued to sport, he allowed a feral grin to escape his features, as he mentally calculated the time it would take for his new apprentice to recover from the effects of prolonged exposure to vacuum. Soon, he thought, he would be rid of the Coalition, and Skywalker would battle Starkiller, determining who would become the apprentice thorough a battle to the death. And with either as his most powerful apprentice, he would establish his galactic empire.

While Sidious was musing with these thoughts, another blinking light indicated that he was needed for another secretive transmission. He suppressed his thoughts, and waited for the request to be pushed through.

Once the hologram of the cloaked spy came into view, Sidious said with an authoritative tone, "Have you located the Scepter?"

"We found the merchant it belonged to, sire, but the shop was destroyed, and him and his family killed before we could approach. If it was here on Commenor before, it no longer is." the spy reported evenly.

"Locate it! We cannot allow it to fall into the wrong hands." Sidious said, his anger practically palpable form the situation he just found himself in.

"Yes, my lord." the cloaked figure reported before the hologram shimmered out of existence, and Sidious was left brood with recent events.

Save for this recent set-back, he was exactly where he predicted he would be. All he needed now was the secret apprentice 's loyalty, and his plans, for the most part, would begin to come into fruition.

* * *

><p>9 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 12:17:2919:4 BBY

ONI Alpha Base, New Mombasa, Earth, Sol System, CSS Homeworld Sector

Because of the intense rays of sunlight that shone through the expansive windows of the Directors' office, the blinds were put into place. This had the added effect of allowing Ruckus to brood over the recent turn of event, that seemed to be going in his favor. Soon, by month's end, he predicted, he would have met with Sidious, or Palpatine, and they would have planned their courses of action accordingly. All of this hinged, though, on the events that would transpire this day.

Finally, as Ruckus continued to brood in the dark atmosphere, the door into his office opened quietly, with his assistant coming through timidly to give news she suspected would make the Director verbally explode. Her steps were quick, and she almost found herself tripping over her own feet several times between her entrance and the front of the Director's desk. Her eyes spoke of fear as she placed the manila folder on his desk with shaking hands, and quickly scurried out of the room before he had the opportunity to open it.

Ruckus shook his head in amusement as the door closed, and looked down at the folder. His smile only grew as he opened the contents, and began reading what it said. The title of the contents themselves was _Recent Developments in the Reemergence of the Covenant Loyalists_. As he continued to flip through each page, his smile only widened as he read about this new faction's exploits. Finally, once he was done, he placed his index finger on the nearby com unit, and waited for his assistant to answer.

"Y-yes sir. How can I help you?" she asked, practically stuttering.

"Arrange an emergency meeting with the Coalition President and his cabinet immediately." he ordered with mock outrage.

"At once, sir." she answered quickly before severing the connection.

Ruckus wasted no time as he stood from his desk, and placed the manila folder in a secret compartment in his desk, where he placed all of his folders as of late. He dusted himself off to rid himself of fake dust before walking over to the blind controls. Before opening them up, he closed his eyes in preparation, and moved his hand over the dial, decreasing the light-absorption rate considerably before he was done. Once his eyes adjusted to the light below his lids, he opened them, and looked out at the massive city below, sprawling with life. Above them, clouds waited in the distant, a brewing storm. He could make out the lightening from this distance, the thunder inaudible. the grey veil of rain was clearly visible in the horizon-spanning storm that approached, and he silently thanked fate for allowing him to escape the storm before it could hover over the city.

Once he was done with his reverie some time later, he began walking towards the door to his office. He put on a fake frown of disgust before opening the door, and walking purposefully to his private landing pad, the entrance to which was on the far side of the wall. The hallway was short, and adorned with painting from various artists, as well as some vases and other unique pieces or art he or his assistant collected over the years. The walls were a bleach white, and tiled, with thin lines of grey separating the large tiles with a barely noticeable indentation. The light was sterile and bright, causing Ruckus to squint briefly before his eyes could adjust in the short span of time he spent in the hallway.

In only a handful of strides, he was in front of the door, and opened with quickly, allowing to the connect with the adjacent wall with a resounding thud. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his assistant jump in surprise as she continued to look at him. Out of the opposite corner of his mouth, he allowed a grin to escape his features. He then suppressed this grin, and walked out of the hallway and into the open air rooftop landing pad, with his private Pelican resting atop a landing pad at the center. The area itself had dual staircases that lead to his left and right down a level, only to have a section that circled the entire perimeter. On all four sides of the square, there was a catwalk that lead to the landing pad itself.

Ruckus walked down the right staircase, and then turned to the left to walk on the catwalk nearest him. The sound of the Pelican's engines, already loud since the moment he walked through the threshold of the previous door, only increased as he approached. Their hum was something he had grown accustomed to over the years, and he did not even wince as the sound grew to the point where he wouldn't even be able to hear himself speak.

Once on the landing pad, he walked around the Pelican, and into the vessel, as the ramp closed behind him. He was yet again bathed in a sterile light, and he walked past his seat near the cockpit. He walked through and stood over the pilot, whose features were hidden behind the gear he had to wear. He turned his head, and even though Ruckus couldn't see his eyes on account of the sunglasses the pilot sported, he knew the pilot was solely focused on him.

The pilot finally said in a deeply masculine voice, "Where to, sir?"

"Dock with my cruiser in orbit, and return here when I'm onboard." Ruckus ordered before turning around and walking to his seat.

"Yes sir." the pilot replied as he flipped some more of the switches before him.

The Pelican lifted off the ground of the landing pad, and the pilot jerked forward on the yoke, pushing it forward. Ruckus looked out of the small windows to his right and left, and saw the city one last time, and the storm in the distance, before entering the vacuum of space.

* * *

><p>9 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 16:54:2719:4 BBY

CSS _Redemption_, Orbit of Saleucami, Saleucami System, Sulorine Sector

"Sir, We have thirty confirmed hostile vessels, en route to our current position. ETA, ten minutes" one of the ensigns, probably a human, reported to Admiral Oku.

The Admiral looked out of the expansive view port before him, and noticed the thirty ships in question as nothing more but little dots. He only noticed them from the flashes of explosions from the battle their comrades found themselves in as they fought with the Republic blockade.

Oku turned his attention to the bridge crew, and asked to everyone, "Who's exactly winning this engagement so far?"

"The Separatists, sir. They have the Republic ships outnumbered three to one." another one of the ensigns, an Unggoy, reported.

"I love to be the rescuer." Oku said silently to himself before continuing for all to hear, "Load all MAC guns. Divert shields to bow for forward wedge. Full energy to Energy Projectors. Fire on my command."

Once he was done with his commands, momentarily, he walked forward and placed his hands on the railing before him, separating him from his bridge crew below. To his left, the A.I. Francis appeared, and looked at the admiral adjacent to him.

"Tell me Francis, how long do you think the Separatists are going to last?" Oku asked with a grin as he turned slightly to look at the blue hologram out of the corner of his eye.

"I give them fifty seconds, tops." the A.I. said with confidence as he diverted his gaze to look out of the window.

"All MAC guns reporting one hundred percent charge and loaded, sir." one of the ensigns, a female human, reported.

"Energy Projectors at one hundred percent charge, and ready to fire on your mark, fleetmaster." another ensign, a Sangheili male, said.

"How much longer until they're withing range?" Oku asked over the cacophony.

"T-minus thirty seconds sir." a third ensign, an Unggoy, replied.

"Divert power from engines to MAC guns and Energy Projectors." Oku ordered, silencing he crew before he continued, "We can run on momentum alone from here, and it looks like the Seppies are walking right in."

Several seconds followed as the distant sound of engines burning and working died down, then ended abruptly, before an ensign, male human, reported, "All power diverted properly sir."

"Enemy at two hundred and fifty thousand clicks and closing. They'll be within range in t-minus fifteen seconds." a Jiralhanae, said.

"Designate targets Tyrant one through thirty and captains mark targets." Oku said to the crew before he turned to look at Francis and said in a lower tone, "You know how to group shots, I hope."

"Yes sir, I do." Francis simply replied with the A.I. equivalent of a grin as he looked out at the expansive window before him, into the black void of space.

Oku followed the example of his A.I. companion, and looked out of the view port at the approaching CIS task force. They had since grown from the small pinpricks on the window, easily mistakable with small space debris collected over time, to slightly larger bodies, with barely discernible shapes. Oku turned his gaze to look at the holographic map, and Francis, noticing this, turned it on automatically. This showed the Admiral the battle developing between the Separatists and Republic, as well as the approaching task force.

Oku, while maintaining his gaze on the table, seeing the time ticker on the bottom left indicating when the opposing fleet would be within range, as well as showing that all ships were targeted for destruction, and said to the crew, "Fire on my mark!" which was quickly followed by silence, save for the soft sound of typing on consoles.

"Five...four...three...two...one." Oku said as he maintained his gaze on the ticker, as he counted down with it.

Then, as the ticker showed quadruple zeroes, Oku ordered, "Mark!"

Mere seconds later, Oku felt a tremor as one of the MAC guns on his ship entered the void of space en route to their predetermined targets. This was copied and repeated for almost half of the vessels in the fleet, as MAC rounds left their ports and streaked towards the designated targets those thousands of kilometers away. While each MAC gun's speed was dependent on the size and class of the ship it was fired form, within seconds, they all hit their targets, and began the process of obliterating the shielding of the Separatist vessels, or outright removing them entirely blowing up the shield generators as the round themselves bore through the thick, durasteel hulls of the mighty ships like they were made of plywood. Some vessels, like most of the _Recusant_-class destroyers, took only one shot from a MAC round, before their shields flared into existence for all of several milliseconds before the sheer kinetic energy bore through the protective plasma and began plowing though the hull. Some destroyers would have a hole running from bow to stern, flames and explosions shooting out of all entrances as the ship was literally gutted. Others would be bisected, with similar explosions shooting out of the now open hulls into the void of space, and even others would simply go nova.

In the instance of one _Lucrehulk_-class droid control ship, the MAC round from the supercarrier _Amnesty_ bore through the shields with little difficulty and impacted the central sphere, in the top left quadrant, creating a massive fireball that encompassed the newly created entrance. This was followed by three other MAC rounds impacting the vessel in the lower left quadrant of the sphere, the direct center of the sphere, and one on the left side of the ring surrounding the sphere. This all culminated in a reactor overload for the droid control ship, resulting in the creation of a second star for a brief handful of seconds before the explosion died down, revealing the burning wreckage of a droid control ship, individual pieces no larger than a small fighter.

Regardless of the means by which the task force's vessels met their demise, they all were completely destroyed, nothing more but wreckage floating in the empty space above the war-ravaged planet.

Oku allowed a small grin to escape his features as he turned back to his A.I., and asked, "Status report on the remaining hostiles?"

"It appears that they're retreating, sir." the A.I. said with noticeable satisfaction.

"Excellent job, men. I believe that's a new record." Oku said proudly to the bridge crew, who all said their own respective affirmatives before returning to their previous duties.

Their celebration, though, was short-lived, as one of the human ensigns said with a dreadful voice, "Sir, it appears we have unknown portal entries in the system. I'm counting fifty, no sixty, slipspace anomalies one hundred and fifty-five thousand clicks off our starboard bow!"

Oku's previous grin turned to that of seriousness, as he walked around to face the holographic table again. He saw the red tinted ships belonging to the Separatists moving in position near the portals.

Oku then turned to his crew, and said, "Get me a visual on those portals, now!"

With this new command on mind, the crew worked furiously to follow it, and within moments, the holographic display changed to show images from the long range cameras as they captured the unfolding event. Everyone turned their gaze upon the holoprojector, as the images continued to be fed into the bridge. At first, all that was seen were a large number of purple outlined portals, exactly similar to those the Coalition warships went through all to often. What came through those portals sent shivers down the spines of the bravest of men on the bridge, and outcries from any species incapable of such a feat.

At first, it was just one purple colored, curvaceous body, relatively small in size, that came barreling through the portal and into the real space of the system. It was soon joined, though, by a myriad of other shapes, all purple or silver colored and curvaceous, with bulbous protrusions wherever they seemed fit. Some of these vessels were smaller than a mere frigate, but a handful of them were at the very least, twenty kilometers in length. Gasps of awe and dread filled the bridge as the first of these giant monstrosities exited their portal, only to be joined by four others of similar design and size.

In between the shocked outcries of the crew, one Sangheili said for all to hear, "The Mongrels have returned!" which elicited the roars from similar species begging for blood.

Oku shook his head to get out of the reverie he found himself in, and ordered in the most commanding voice he could muster, "Designate targets Tyrant one through seventy-five, and mark targets! Let's send these bastards back to the hell from whence they came!"

By now, the ships of the Covenant Loyalists formed up in a line formation, with the five supercarriers at the center of the formation, and the Separatists defending the flanks. On the holoprojector, which had returned to the visual of the entire system, showing the location of every warship, Oku noticed the distance between his forces and those of the enemy to be at a little under 150,000 kilometers and closing. He noticed orange boxes surround almost all of the hostile ships, indicating they were selected for destruction.

The counter at the side of the display continued to grow smaller and smaller as the two fleets approached each other,

At 145,000 kilometers, Oku heard one of the ensigns shout, "Sir, their energy projectors are about to fire!"

"Open fire!" Oku ordered to his crew, who obeyed through sending typed messages as fast as their fingers would allow.

Moments later, long, thin, and blinding beams of light sprouted from the hulls of the Coalition warships, and impacted with the hostile vessels not milliseconds later. They were soon joined by the combined fore from the MAC rounds, which had, for several of the larger ships, reloaded, while the smaller ones were still in the process of recycling the electricity used to fire again. These intense beams of energy began the process of burning away at the shields of the Covenant warships, and did so with deadly efficiency as MAC rounds all targeting the five supercarriers, brought down their shields considerably. Unfortunately, the Covenant had the same Energy Projectors, and were about to use them.

Mere seconds after the first of the energy projector beams made contact with the Covenant fleet, they returned the favor with their own. their beams shot out, and impacted with the shields of the forwards wedge of the 14th Fleet. Now it was simply how long either side could hold out, as the shields for both sides began losing strength incrementally.

Then, in an instant, the shields for one of the supercarriers for the Covenant failed, as the combined might of four energy beams tore through the shielding and began decimating the hull. After only a half a second, the inside reactors of the supercarrier overloaded, and a giant, nuclear, explosion was created, tearing the ship apart from the inside out. This giant, white explosion shot out from the weakest point, the aft and bow sections, first, then consumed the hanger bays and jettisoned out of there, and finally, the entire ship was simply ripped open, and several massive pieces were sent drifting through the emptiness of space.

This process of complete obliteration was repeated three times for the Covenant, two battleships and another supercarrier, before one of the Coalition's own, a carrier, was obliterated in a similar manner. Another fourteen warships were destroyed by the Covenant, and each time a green dot blinked out of existence on the holoprojector, Oku winced at the thought of losing another vessel. Soon enough, though, the smaller MAC guns were ready to fire with their bigger brethren.

Without needing Oku's command, the individual captains of the Coalition warships fired their own main armaments. Just like the energy beams, at first, the shots were blinding, but the light soon dissipated, and what was left was the smoldering wreckage of an additional thirty some odd Covenant warships, all of which were either similarly destroyed as before, with a reactor meltdown, or with giant holes where their hulls used to be. Either way, they were inoperable, left drifting in the void of space. From there, the captains of most of the fleet launched their Longbow Missiles and fired their plasma turrets at the ever approaching enemy. The missiles were the first to impact, weakening the shields considerably, or outright destroying the hexangular shielding, before impacting with considerable force, obliterating entire sections of the opposing vessels. Then the wave of plasma torpedoes impacted with the Loyalist fleet, further eviscerating the hostile ships. Unfortunately, the Covenant Remnant began firing their plasma turrets at the same time, and their ordinances were beginning to impact with Coalition vessel, returning the favor with equal destruction.

This deadly exchange ended moments later with another volley of MAC rounds, and continued firing from the energy projectors, with the complete obliteration of the Covenant fleet, and the destruction of most of the Separatist task force, with a total of twenty-five loses for the Coalition.

Oku let out a sigh of relief that the battle was over, and turned to one of his nearby crew members, and said, "Send a message to Unity. Don't spare any details of what just happened, either."

XXX

CSS _Redemption_, Orbit of Saleucami, Saleucami System, Sulorine Sector

Once the battle beyond had concluded, it did not take long for word to spread over the events that just transpired. It thus became the hot button topic everyone spent their time talking about. Richard and his group of friends were no different At the moment, they were in the mess hall, which seemed to be almost filled to the brim with people, and an intense cacophony resonated throughout, making pleasant conversation all but impossible. Then again, the conversations themselves were far from pleasant.

"I just don't understand. I thought we finished those bastards off twenty years ago!" Fred yelled over the loud noises of the mess hall, for his nearby compatriots to hear.

"I guess we were kicking so much ass, fate decided we needed more of a challenge." Greg replied before taking a swig of the provided coffee, after which he made the expression of dissatisfaction with the brew before muttering to himself, "This tastes like shit."

It seemed Richard took notice of his friends complaint, and addressed it when he said, "Do you expect any different when it's made by the lowest bidder?"

Greg got a small smile out of this comment while replying, "I guess not."

The two others in the group looked at the exchange with mild amusement before continuing, with Francois saying, "I'm willing to accept that the Covies still exist. But why now, and more importantly, why here?"

Richard became more serious as he replied, "I don't think why matters at the moment. All we know is that the Covenant is still a threat, and we can expect more from them in the next couple of weeks."

After that, they all heard a snort of amusement from a Sangheili, before one, which had been nearby listening the whole time, turned and said, "We will burn their mongrel hides with ease, my friends."

Richard looked skeptical as he said, "I hope so...uh..."

"Kuhna. Sergeant Kuhna." the towering alien replied while giving a slight bow, before continuing, "Without the _Reclaimers_ on their side," he said, placing quotations around 'Reclaimers', and continuing, "their technological abilities have likely not improved, were as ours have."

He then said, "Theirs shields are weak, compared to ours, and their weapons are poor and inaccurate. I think we will be just fine."

"I hope so Sergeant, but if the Seppies are on their side, they might have picked up a thing or two form them on land at least." Greg said before taking a small sip of coffee and making a quick countenance of disgust before suppressing the urge to throw the coffee at the nearest wall and be done with it.

The Sangheili patted Greg on the back, then said to the group, "Well then come. I found something that might help calm your nerves." before walking away, Richard's group close behind.

XXX

GNR _Resolute_, Orbit of Saleucami, Saleucami System, Sulorine Sector

On the bridge of the star destroyer, a similar discussion was being had in regards to the new enemy. It perplexed the Republic forces, particularly Admiral Yularen and his clone contingent. Anakin was also surprised by the the new arrival's, but Obi-Wan seemed resigned, as if he knew something, but didn't like it. Ahsoka appeared the same, and Anakin quickly came to the conclusion that either they were saying something behind his back, or they actually read the reports the Coalition gave them. He was banking on the latter of the two.

"Admiral." the three Jedi said in unison with a curtly bow, of which Admiral Yularen returned, before Anakin continued, "Do you have any idea what just happened out there?"

"I'm afraid I know about as much as you do, General." Yularen replied evenly.

Anakin then turned to face his old master, and asked, "What about you Master? You seem like you know something."

"I have an idea, but I would feel better if we discussed this with Admiral Oku." Obi-Wan replied stoically, as expected.

Yularen only nodded before turning to one of the clone ensigns, saying, "Patch us through to Admiral Oku."

"Yes sir." the clone replied obediently before going about the task at hand.

Within moments, the blue hologram of Admiral Oku appeared before the four, all of whom gave a curtly bow to the allied officer. He returned the favor, and motioned with his hand for them to speak first.

"Admiral," Obi-Wan began, "Do you mind filling us in on what just happened out there?"

"I'm assuming you all already read at least some of the reports I've sent you?" Oku inquired, which got the nodding approval of all of those present, including Anakin.

"Then you know at least a little bit about the Covenant." Oku replied bitterly.

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka shook their head in grim acceptance, and Anakin still looked dumbfounded at the Admiral. What the hell was the Covenant?

Oku noticed this, and continued, for no other reason but to inform Skywalker, "Yes, the enemy we believed be extinct for twenty years is back, and it appears they have made good friend with the Separatists. They cannot be underestimated. They are deadly, and fanatical. They will do whatever it takes to bring forth the end of life in the Milky Way and embark on their 'Sacred Voyage' or whatever hogwash they still believe in."

"It doesn't seem they were all that big of a threat, Admiral." Anakin said.

"Maybe conventionally, General Skywalker, but give them a Halo and a human prisoner, and we're talking about total extinction of all sentient life. And even if they don't fire it, they could still release the Flood. I don't want to dwell on that thought for very long."

While Anakin didn't know anything about the Flood, he could tell by the Admiral's voice, and the grim looks on his counterparts faces that it was something to be feared. He thus, nodded in agreement, doing his best to make it seem like he understood.

"If that is all," Oku began, pausing for a moment to allow the officers before him to nod in agreement, then continued, "then I will go back to preparing for the drop. Generals Skywalker, Kenobi, and Commander Tano, I advise you drop with us. We could use your help."

"When do we start?" Ahsoka asked, while raising an eyebrow, and noticing out of the corner of her eye that Anakin smiled slightly in approval.

"We drop in one hour." Oku said simply before bowing slightly to the group and severing the connection,

Obi-Wan began walking off, saying to himself loud enough for all to hear, "Why do I always find myself in these bloody suicidal missions with you two?"

"'Cause you think they're fun, Master." Anakin replied with a satisfied grin, while still looking at the quickly disappearing form of his former master.

"I think I'd rather let you pilot my starship." Obi-Wan muttered to himself, hoping Anakin didn't hear what he said.

Anakin then turned to face his padawan, and asked her, his tone deathly serious, "What do you know about this 'Flood'?"

Ahsoka looked incredulously at Anakin, before asking, "You didn't read any of the reports, did you?"

Anakin simply shrugged, and said, "I never got around to it."

"Didn't get around to it, or didn't feel like it?" Ahsoka asked, a playful tone evident by her voice and small smirk on the corner of her lips.

"It doesn't matter now, Snips. Just tell me what you know." Anakin replied, his voice bespeaking of no compromise.

"Fine." Ahsoka said while raising her hand and rolling her eyes, her smile still etched on her features.

Once the theatrics were over, Ahsoka continued, "It's a parasitic organism form their galaxy. It spreads quickly, and it is extremely dangerous. Imagine the worst plague in galactic history. Now give that disease sentient thought and an insatiable urge to spread as far as it can, then you got the Flood."

"Well, that's pleasant." Anakin said dryly.

"If you want any more information, I advise you talk to Oku, Omega squad, or one of those A.I.'s." Ahsoka advised before turning heel and beginning to walk away.

"I think I know enough." Anakin said, dismissively, before turning around himself to observe the planet below for a moment.

* * *

><p>9 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 19:18:4219:4 BBY

Liberty Forward Operating Base, Saleucami, Saleucami System, Sulorine Sector

At the summit of a massive hill, overlooking the ongoing battle between the Republic and Separatists forces, Jedi Master Aayla Secura stood with a small group of clone officers to observe their forces. The hill itself was made up of charred earth, full of craters and ash covering some of the more resilient lifeforms that remained. In the distance, the planet turned from lush expanse, postmarked with raging fires, to arid desert. The clouds above were dark and churning, ready for the impending downpour.

"General Secura," one of the clone commanders called to the Twi'lek Jedi Master, who had her backed turned to look out of the binoculars at the continuing artillery bombardment on the Separatist' defense shields, "Generals Skywalker, Kenobi, and Commander Tano are about to land with their contingent of ARC troopers and Coalition personnel."

This immediately got her attention, and she put the binoculars away into a hidden compartment on her utility belt. She then turned, and walked the short distance between the two, the rough, coarse ground crunching under her feet with every step. Before a word was uttered, a single raindrop fell on the clone commander's visor, of which the clone quickly wiped away. It was soon joined by a handful of its brothers, and in a mere minute's time, the group was caught in the middle of a downpour.

Aayla looked up at the dark clouds, and a smile graced her features before she pulled the cloak she had discarded nearby into her outstretched hand with the help of the Force. She put it one, and pulled the hood up and over her head, covering her from the cold rain.

She then focused her attention on the clone commander, and said, "Do you know what their objective is?"

"The AA batteries ten clicks south-east form here." the clone replied.

"In that case, get the ARC-170's ready. Once those AA guns are down, we can finally assume aerial superiority." Aayla said before turning her attention to look back at the continuing bombardment of the expansive Separatist shield.

"Yes ma'am," the clone dutifully replied before sprinting off down the hill away from Aayla and towards the sprawling base below.

XXX

Orbit of Saleucami, Saleucami System, Sulorine Sector

"Come on Master, you almost ready?" Anakin impatiently said into the com link, as his fighter craft continued to circle around the star destroyer he launched from, his padawan's Jedi Interceptor to his immediate left.

"Patience, my young friend. I'll be there in a moment." Obi-Wan chirped in reply.

Moments later, his distinct red starfighter shot out of the hanger bay, with four LAAT/i's flanking him. Anakin and Ahsoka soon joined him, and they made their way over to the CSS _Redemption_, which was awaiting for them in the upper atmosphere of the planet. Obi-Wan fumbled with the controls in his fighter's cockpit, turning dials and pressing buttons, before playing his hands back upon the yoke of his fighter to continue to steer it.

Obi-Wan started off first, by saying into the com link, "Admiral Oku, we're ready whenever you are."

"ODST's and Spec Ops dropping in one minute thirty seconds. Good hunting." Oku replied on his end, for all to hear.

With that in mind, Obi-Wan angled his fighter downwards, and shot towards the planet below, with Anakin, Ahsoka, and the LAAT/i's close behind. Soon all of them were engulfed in flames, as the friction from the atmosphere beating against the armor plating of the fighters and transports. Within seconds, though, the flames were clear, and they leveled themselves out, flying parallel to the ground.

As they were flying, small black explosions dotted the air around them. They seemed distant, at first, barely a threat. But at the speed that they were moving at, the explosions grew larger, and the shock waves grew more intense. Anakin was jostled around the cockpit, having trouble staying in one place even with the safety harness.

Then, in the blink of an eye, an explosion came too close, and the right wing on his fighter was shot clean off, sending him spiraling towards the ground. His eyes shot wide in terror, as he worked furiously with the controls of his fighter, trying desperately to stabilize it. Amongst the din of alarms and notifications, he heard the distinct voices of Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, as they tried to call to him, trying desperately to get his attention, hoping he was alright.

"I'm going down." he kept repeating for several tense moments, before he achieved some stabilization only several hundred meters above the ground. Smoke billowed out of the former right wing, and the black fumes surrounded his cockpit window, preventing him from guiding his craft safely. He was stuck with the sensors still in action, and noticed that a topographical map of the area showed a valley not far ahead.

From there he angled his craft slightly to the right, and raised the front of the fighter up. Within seconds, he was pushed forward by the g-forces as his fighter made contact with the rough ground. It skidded across the dirt, making a wide streak over fifty meters in length, intermittent periodically when his fighter would achieve a small take-off, before landing again with a distinct thud, accompanied by the sound of quickly ripping metal.

Anakin lay slumped forward, blood trickling down his forehead as his fighter came to a complete stop. He moaned groggily before lifting his head up, looking around his cockpit. He attempted to shake off the effects of the descent, his mind still reeling from what just happened, before he gently took the headset of his forehead, and fumbled with it in his hand. He saw a crimson liquid drip off the headset, and rubbed his head, looking for the source. It didn't take him long to find it, and with the help of a nearby medical kit that he always kept stocked in case of events such as these, he applied a bacta patch, and held it there over the injury in question with an adhesive patch.

Once the impromptu medical procedure was taken care of, he dropped the headset, and tried opening the cockpit. It was now that he noticed that the cockpit would not open at his command, and he resorted to pressing a series of buttons on the console in front of him. Small explosive charges were detonated all around the window of the cockpit, and it shot up and away, landing tens of meters away after hitting a tree looking organism, which stayed firm under the new assault.

Anakin shot his head from left to right, taking in the scenery before him through the haze of black smoke that began surrounding him. The smoke got thicker, and he took this as his cue to leave. He lifted himself out of the cockpit, and placed his hand where the lightsaber dangled from his belt. After feeling the metal cylinder at his side, he walked onto the left wing, or what was left of it. Already, the front half of it was torn off, and Anakin noticed it had landed at least twenty meters away.

Before jumping off the fighter, his senses finally came back to him, and he heard the shrill cries from his R2 unit to his left. He smiled slightly at the rotating dome of the relatively unscathed R2 unit, and jumped off of the fighter, landing on soft muddy terrain, with thin blades of grass surrounding him. His R2 unit did the same, and joined its master on the ground.

"Artoo, I think we worried Ahsoka and Obi-Wan enough. Can you com them and tell them we're fine?" Anakin asked his R2 unit as he pulled the cloak he wore tighter around him, protecting himself against the cold air.

Artoo let loose with a short series of whistles and whirls, and Anakin quickly translated this as something he didn't want to hear.

"What do you mean your communications device is malfunctioning?" Anakin asked, almost angrily.

Yet again, the droid began an almost unintelligible series of clicks and whistles, which Anakin, again, translated mentally, to mean it was destroyed during their crash. Anakin let out a short, dissatisfied sigh, as he looked around, and allowed the Force to calm him, something he picked up from Obi-Wan in recent months.

"Well, they'll follow the smoke, hopefully soon, and they'll pick us up. Unless, of course, the AA cover is too thick for them to go through." Anakin said, mostly to himself, before turning around and sitting down on the star craft.

Artoo began an optimistic series of whistles and beeps, before rolling off to join Anakin.

Anakin began laughing, and said with a small smile, "Yeah, I'll make sure the first thing I do when we get to the base is fix you up, Artoo."

With that said, Anakin closed his eyes, and began listening to the area around him. The din of battle seemed distant, and he could properly enjoy the relative serenity before he was, hopefully, picked up. Unfortunately, the sound of plasma and missiles exchanged off in the distance dominated the air, and any sound from species that inhabited the land was few and far between.

Then, after a somewhat labored sigh, Anakin heard a faint rustling behind him. He turned, and saw a handful of leaves, or what appeared to be leaves, slowly descending after being thrown into the air. Looking around, trying to find the source of the movement, he griped his lightsaber, and pulled it off his utility belt, but refrained from igniting it. Artoo moved his dome lid around, trying to look for the same thing his master was.

Then, Anakin heard the faint rustling again, and with the help of the Force, ignited his blade and turned to the right as quickly as he could, deflecting a spear expertly trained on his heart. Continuing with his momentum, and failing to look at his attacker, Anakin spun into a horizontal strike against the would-be killer. The enemy's reflexes proved to be too fast, though, and Anakin was caught in a deadlock with the enemy.

Anakin's brow furrowed, as he sized up the assailant. It was a red skinned enemy, not too unlike those of the ancient Sith, save for the pointed protrusions still covered by the skin on the crown of the head and smaller protrusions that went around the eyes. It seemed humanoid in appearance, with the same general shape and dimensions associated with such a classification. The face held little resemblance of the human, though, as it seemed flat, lacking any nose, and facial hair was nonexistent. The eyes were almost completely black, save for a small gleam that was seen thanks to the light entering through the trees. Anakin quickly classified it as a Nikto, but of what sub-species, he did not know, nor cared to know.

It wore some ceremonial lavender garb, and had black armor covering most of the body. The armor itself was plated, with several overlapping layers. Most of the lavender garb was under the protection of the black armor, save for one piece that hung between the legs, and flowed freely in the air. The boots were a dark brown, and covered in mud, as was most of his armor below the waist, and the bottom of the sash that continued to hang freely. Anakin noticed the remnants of a cape, and saw the singed corners and the uneven shape of the piece of cloth.

The weapon used to attack him dumbfounded Anakin, but he was soon able to pick up on the fact that it was a cortosis weapon, and thus resistant to lightsabers. It was a meter long spear, laced with the cortosis ore, and at the end nearest Anakin, a small, lightsaber-like red colored beam of light protruded, giving off the all-too familiar scent of ozone.

'Typical Morgukai weapon.' Anakin thought.

'Typical Morgukai armor and appearance.' Anakin continued to muse.

'Must be a Morgukai warrior.' Anakin concluded as the clash of lightsaber and lightsaber-resistant spear continued, with both offenders pushing as hard as they could to get the other away.

Finally, Anakin succeeded, and the Morgukai warrior was pushed away, his spear still firmly in his hands. After back-peddling several steps, the red skinned enemy held the spear at a low ready position, and ran forward, with the intent on skewering Anakin at the mid-section. Fortunately for Anakin, his reflexes kicked in, and he stepped to the right while striking down on the spear with his lightsaber. This pushed the weapon down, and the plasma at the end began burning through the ground. Anakin held the spear down there with all his might, then, when the Morgukai warrior seemed to let up for just a brief moment, he turned his hands counter-clockwise, and struck up, decapitating the unfortunate warrior.

The head fell with a sickening thus on the muddy ground, and the body soon followed. The familiar sound of the plasma deactivating filled Anakin's ears as the weapon, still in the vice grip of the headless Morgukai warrior, fell with the body, and sunk slightly into the mud.

Anakin let out a long sigh of relief, as he deactivated his lightsaber and placed it back on the utility belt. He turned around, and began walking back to his fighter, where Artoo still stood, waiting for him. After only a handful of steps, three distinct, short, snap-hisses were heard, all emanating from behind Anakin. He just shook his head, and pulled out the lightsaber again, but deciding not to ignite it.

He then said to himself, "This is going to be a long wait." before sensing through the Force that one of the attackers was approaching him at high speed.

Anakin ignited his azure blade, and deflected the assault to the left. The enemy was another Morgukai warrior, looking almost exactly the same as the one before, and holding the same type of spear. His lavender cape was in better condition than the first, though, and had very few scorch marks, but roughly the same amount of mud covering it.

Anakin then tried to strike to the head of the warrior with a horizontal swing, but the Morgukai moved the spear so that the end closest to him lifted up, protecting him from the attack. Anakin expected this, though, and before the lightsaber even made contact with the spear, he was already reversing the strike, and moving his lightsaber overhead, before striking down on the other, unprotected side. The Morgukai was not expecting this, and did not move fast enough. Consequently, he too, lost his head.

Before Anakin could even begin to breathe a sigh of relief, the other two warriors, fed up with this threat, attacked him simultaneously. Unable to block both at once, Anakin jumped over the assailants, and readied himself. They both turned, and struck down with their spears, forcing Anakin to block horizontally over his head. The force of the impact sent him down on one knee, and he strained to keep both away from him.

Finally, after several long, tense moments, Anakin summoned the strength to push the attackers off of him. As their spears were still high in the air, Anakin attacked diagonally to the right Morgukai warrior, giving him a fatal slash across the chest, while still on one knee. He then, faster than the remaining Morgukai could react, stood and slashed horizontally across its mid-section, cutting the once proud combatant in two.

Both of the new corpses stood for a handful of seconds, before falling down, with noticeable force. Their garments were now covered in mud, as was Anakin's knees and boots.

He brushed himself off from the small particles of dust that gathered on his tunic during the fight, and deactivated his lightsaber. Before he began walking, he closed his eyes, and stretched out his feelings, probing the area for any other threats. He sensed none, and he walked over, silently, to his fighter.

Once near the fighter, and Artoo, Anakin asked the little astromech droid, "Now where were we Artoo?"

The faithful little droid replied with a series of beeps and whistles, which Anakin translated.

He smirked from what the droid said, and looked back down on the blue and white dome of his mechanical friend, before saying, "You got a point there, Artoo."

XXX

18,000 meters above Sector 29-D, Saleucami, Saleucami System, Sulorine Sector

"Master Kenobi, we need to go back for him!" Ahsoka yelled into the com unit as she began maneuvering her craft to turn around.

"No! Stop Ahsoka! If we go back, we'll be obliterated by those AA guns. Anakin can hold up by himself. Once those AA cannons are taken out, we can go back for him." Obi-Wan yelled in response, which was followed by a somewhat tense silence.

The sound of a fist hitting a hard surface was heard through the com channel, and Ahsoka's voice came through, saying with evident irritation, "Fine! But as soon as those guns are out of the picture, I'm going back."

"And I'll be right behind you." Obi-Wan replied before moving his craft to the right suddenly, to avoid the AA shell heading in his direction, which promptly exploded in the area his fighter just before occupied.

The rest of the flight was spent in relative silence, which was ended once when one of the LAAT/i's was impacted with an AA round, and exploded in a massive fireball, sending the wreckage descending into the relatively unscathed ground below. No time was spent mourning the lost, though, as another wave of AA rounds rocked the crafts, and forced the pilots to maneuver their transports or fighter accordingly to avoid the same fiery death.

Then, as the AA guns were just moments away, the familiar sound of Admiral Oku broke through the com units, saying, "Helljumpers and Spec Ops en route now!"

The remaining five vessels, the two Jedi Interceptors and three LAAT/i's landed in a clearing only a quarter of a kilometer away from the AA guns, and the occupants poured out of their respective transports. They were met with a wall of plasma, as the droid defenders expected such an attack, and dug into hidden positions in the nearby "forest".

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka jumped out of their fighters, their lightsabers springing to life, and they landed with grace upon the ground as they began deflecting rounds back at their senders. Their blocks were made with a fluidity that can only be acquired with countless hours of practice, and one by one, the droids attacking had their numbers dwindled.

The clones had, after the hot landing, began firing on the droids, or where they believed the droids to be. As the last one exited their craft, the LAAT/i's lifted off the ground, and appeared as though they were about to begin firing on the droids. Before any of them had the opportunity, three rockets left the protective cover the droids found themselves in with their sights set on the LAAT/i's. One of them got off a quick shot of the green composite beam laser, and a handful of droids met their doom at its hand before it was silences by the rocket impacting the dropship near the cockpit. The rockets hit the forefront of the gunships, and they almost instantly exploded in a violent display of thermal energy. The wreckage fell to the ground, and sent dust high into the air, providing the clones a brief moment of visual cover form the droids, allowing them to recuperate before having to continue their assault.

Most of them found themselves in the crouched position, aiming with deadly accuracy on the droid attackers. Unfortunately, this was not enough, as there was too much plasma being fired at them, and their cover was nonexistent.

One of the clones, their armor painted a blood red, motioned with his hands for two nearby clones, both carrying what appeared to be light machine guns, to cover him with fire as he looked around for any suitable cover for his troops. The clones did as instructed, and moved forward quickly, before crouching again. They took aim, and held down the triggers of their weapons, while moving it from side to side, laying down a massive arc of blue fire on the attackers. The sea of plasma dwindled exponentially, and the red painted commander found cover in the form of nearby boulders that were scattered around the clearing not far from where they landed.

He turned back to the troops before him, and motioned for them to move behind the boulders, while the two continued to hold the line. Yet again they did as instructed, and took cover behind various boulders, save for the apparent commander. Once the rest of his men were safely behind cover, he sprinted up to where the two clones were, and patted them on the shoulders, before leveling out his rifle and firing in the general area of where the droids were. One of them ran back five or so meters, before turning around, and firing again. The other clone stood and ran back behind the clone that was covering them, with the commander not far behind, and turned once he was halfway to the cover they found. He did the same as his brother in arms, and laid down covering fire for him, as the commander continued to turn around periodically to check on the status of his two men.

Unfortunately, once the two clones were next to each other, for that brief moment, a rocket was fired at them. The two Jedi, which were fighting a ways away, were unable to deflect it away. Its aim was true, and it impacted the ground in between and behind them. The resulting explosion engulfed the two clones, and what was left of their burnt and mangled bodies were sent flying forward several meters.

The commander, seemingly unfazed by what just happened, continued to lay down fire on the droids, who had popped out of cover and began firing on the clones again. His attempts failed, and he turned heel and sprinted the last few meters to cover, in the form of a boulder in the middle of the group of boulders. Just as he was about to turn and enter the cover, a lucky bolt of plasma impacted his right shoulder. He spun forward and landed on his back on the muddy ground.

He may have not noticed it, but he let out a cry of agony as he landed, which alerted his troops of what just happened. The clones behind cover popped out at once, and began firing on the droids, as two soldiers, who were behind the boulder the commander was trying to get behind, got on either side of him, and pulled him by the shoulders to the cover they were using. Even though his vision was clouded, and he seemed incapable of conscious thought, he still pulled out the pistol at his side, and began firing where the droid's suppressing fire was coming from.

Once behind the cover the boulder created, the two clones placed his back on the boulder's surface, allowing him to remain in a sitting position, before turning back to fire on the droids with their brothers. The commander moved his head to and fro, trying to shake off the effects of the blast to the shoulder.

While looking to the left, he noticed a group of two clones firing on the droids, before a rocket fired from the Separatists impacted the rock, obliterating it, and sending the two clones flying several meters back. They impacted another boulder, and were it not for the din of battle around him, the commander safely assumed that he would be able to clearly hear the sickening sound of breaking vertebrae. They slid down the boulder they hit, and their bodies lay slumped on the ground, their armor singes and blackened by the explosion.

Then, suddenly, over the cacophony of battle, the sound of something impacting the ground at intense speeds was heard, as dust rose into the air form something less than fifty meters away in the thick forest. The blaster fire began to die down, and everyone began looking in the direction, in between the two lines, waiting for whatever happened. The two Jedi, which had been spending the time deflecting bolts and making their way to their troops, sprinted the thirty meters and took cover with the commander, on either side of the red armored clone, with their lightsabers still humming.

Then, suddenly, a primal roar was heard in the direction of the forest, and a massive, split jawed beast jumped out of his visual cover and lobbed a plasma grenade at the droid position. He was soon joined by four of his brothers, who did the same as him, and they all landed with loud thuds, sending dust and loose foliage into the air briefly. Before any of the grenades went off, the Sangheili began firing their plasma rifles and carbines at the droids.

Before any of the robotic devils were able to respond, their position was engulfed in purplish-blue flames, and they were no more. The few remaining droids were quickly cut down from the combined fire from the Spec Ops troops and ARC troopers.

Once the droids were no more than scorched husks of their former glory, the clones exited their cover, with the two Jedi supporting the red painted clone commander between them. A nearby medic, who had dropped with the Spec Ops, ran through the forest, and took the clone commander out of their embrace, setting him down gently on a nearby tree as the Jedi greeted their saviors.

"Thank you Kuhna." Ahsoka said graciously with a curtly bow, which the Sangheili, at the forefront of the group, quickly reciprocated.

"It was my honor, Commander." the Sangheili replied with the same tone of reverence.

"I'm sorry to have to cut these formalities short, but we need to take out those AA guns." Obi-Wan said to the assembled group of clones and Coalition soldiers.

"Then lead the way, General." one of the Sangheili said, while motioning with his hand for Obi-Wan to take the lead.

Obi-Wan nodded in agreement, before beginning a run towards the actively firing AA guns nearby, with Ahsoka to his right and Kuhna to his left, and the rest of the troops behind. Within seconds, they were in the foliage the droids were using for cover not moments ago, and noticed out of the corner of their eyes as they ran past, the burning parts and discarded blasters from the previous defenders.

Suddenly, a loud bang filled their ears, and a slight drizzle began. The lightsabers the Jedi wielded soon had smoke rising from the ignited blades and sizzles emanating from them, as water instantly evaporated from the heat. Obi-Wan, thinking this was going to blow any surprise they may still had, turned off his blade, and placed it back on his belt, with Ahsoka following his lead soon after.

XXX

Sector 29-E, Saleucami, Saleucami System, Sulorine Sector

Richard and his squad lay crouched on the crest of a hill, some hundred and fifty meters into the air, looking down on the nearest AA gun emplacement. Their armor was drenched from the downpour they found themselves in. They had successfully taken cover behind the brush, and the droids, as well as the Morgukai warriors, did not notice them. Around the gun emplacement, which itself was atop a flattened section of the hill they found themselves on, was a line of trenches, with only two noticeable gun emplacements. The droids occupied this area, and were supported by a squad of eight cloned Morgukai warriors, who were clutching their clothing because of the rain.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Richard noticed a patrol of B1 Battle droids moving towards them, but at a slow pace.

"Four hostiles, B1's, seventy-five meters, south." Richard said in a whispered voice for his squad to hear while he continued to look through the sight of his BR.

"Roger that." Bill whispered back, as he moved his Assault rifle to look at the approaching enemies, before wiping away the droplets of water that collected on the sight and obscured his vision.

The droids came within fifty meters of the squad, forcing them all to aim their weapons at the offending droids, before all the B1s stopped, and turned to the left, while maintaining their almost perfect formation. They then began marching away, off to do another round of checking the perimeter, as if they were built for that sole purpose. Everyone in the squad let out an almost inaudible sigh of relief, as the droids continued to move away.

"So Sarge," whispered Fred, who had since lowered his weapon and looked at Bill, who was to his immediate right, "what's the plan of attack?"

"Well," he whispered back, while still looking at the small encampment, his gun lowered like Fred's, "I say we have our resident sniper take out the two gun emplacements while the rest of us kill those cross-dressing assholes. After those Morgu-whatever, are killed, we finish off the droids, like we always do."

"Damn right." Don whispered back, the sound of booming thunder filled their ears immediately after he finished his statement.

Don raised his sniper rifle and took aim at the gun emplacement furthest to the right, the crosshair resting above the chest compartment of the battle droid that stationed it.

The rest of Misfit 1 did the same, and readied their rifles for the impending assault, as the rainfall that had pelted them thus far seemed to come down even harder now, as if understanding the need for secrecy and hoping it could drown out the sound of gunfire for them.

Finally, after several long moments of tense waiting, Bill whispered for them all to hear above the din of battle and downpour, "Fire."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Don fire one round into the heart of the B1 droid manning the gun emplacement. Without missing a beat, he moved his rifle to aim at the droid manning the other gun emplacement, who had begun swiveling the heavy plasma cannon to face their general direction, and fired one well aimed shot at the offender. The droid collapsed onto the ground in a heap of metal and fried circuits, with electricity arcing out of the hole Don created in the chest of the droid and shocking the ground around it. Because of the constant rain, the ground was muddy enough that it allowed the droid's body to sink almost halfway down into the earth before stopping.

While Don was dealing with the droids, the squad opened up on the Morgukai soldiers, who had immediately noticed the ODST's as soon as the first sniper round was fired and began sprinting towards them. The mud and water that stood in their way slowed them down considerably, as they had to focus to ensure they did not trip from their boots sticking in the mud. Thanks to the intense accuracy training the ODST's endured, their shots were mostly true, and the organic enemies would be perforated with bullet holes. Richard took aim at the closest of the group of Morgukai, and fired squarely on the enemy's chest. The sound of three round bursts fired in rapid succession, filled the air around Richard, as the Morgukai's chest was immediately open to the world in several areas, where blood was pouring out.

Noting that after a scant two bursts the Morgukai was invariably dead, Richard took aim on another Morgukai, one that had escaped the fire from his squad mates, and opened up on it. Taking aim for the hostile's head, Richard pulled on the trigger once, and the bullets flew through the air at supersonic speeds, before impacting their target. The Morgukai warrior's head exploded in a gruesome display of gore and bloodshed, and the remaining body fell forward into the mud, sinking quickly and sending some water that had accumulated in a pool ahead to splash up and away.

The other remaining Morgukai met a similar fate, and their bodies lay strewn about the mud, all perforated with bullet holes and bleeding out an almost never ending river of crimson liquid. A large pool of rainwater became tainted with the blood, and became a sickly scarlet color.

The droids, on the other hand, began firing on the ODST's as soon as the second gun emplacement was a man down. The ODST's returned the fire as quickly as they could, and the droids found themselves outmatched, as their numbers were quickly whittled down to nothing.

Once the plasma fire was gone, the ODST's stood, and looked around the area for any other enemies. After several seconds of scanning, they found nothing, and Bill lead the way down the slope of the hill and towards the AA gun, which was missing a gunner. The ODST's continued to scan the area, moving their heads to and fro, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Richard, while moving downhill, slipped, and just barely caught himself on a thick branch from a nearby tree. The rest of the squad stopped momentarily, waiting for their comrade to regain his composure, and once he nodded, they all moved down the hill again, making sure to check their footing with every step.

As they continued to advance into the clearing the AA gun was in, and stood near their objective, they had yet to find anything. The thunder prevented them from listening to nature and determining if any threats were still present.

As his squad mates continued to scan the area for any reinforcements, Zach knelt down beside the gun, and placed several explosive charges at the base of the structure. The second one he placed at the base of the structure sunk into the mud. Zach pulled it out of the loose ground, and placed it gently in a crevice on the AA gun, right where the angle of the shot could be adjusted. Zach was more careful from then on out, and placed the explosive firmly in their positions, where the rain could not cause them to slip off. After placing the last of the plastic explosives on the base of the turret, Zach stood, and jogged away from the area, with everyone else following close behind.

They all took cover inside the trenches, and pressed themselves onto the loose, muddy ground, waiting for the explosion. Zach, still holding the detonator in his hands, pressed down on the detonation button, and an instant later, a massive shockwave, emanating from the turret, shook the ground, sending loose debris into the air. The squad held firm against the ground, even sinking into the earth, covering their backs in the mud. The armor that wasn't stuck in the earth of the trench was soon covered in the mud and debris sent into the air form the explosion.

Once the shockwave had passed, they all pulled themselves out of the mud, looked over the top of the trench, and saw a black cloud rising from the flames and bent metal that was the former turret. The group pulled themselves up and over the trench wall, and began walking at a leisurely pace to where the turret once was.

"That seems like it was too easy." Richard commented as he kicked a small, badly charred and contorted piece of metal that had flown a short distance from the turret.

The random piece of metal was heavier than Richard anticipated, and it did not move at all, as it was heavy enough to be stuck in the ground, firmly in place.

"I think you're paranoid." Fred replied dryly as he patted his friend's shoulder, and gestured with a shrug for Richard to follow him.

Richard did as instructed, and the two found a pair of stumps elevated half a meter into the air. They both plopped down on them, and placed their weapons on the magnetic clamps on their backs. They both took off their helmets and tried to look into the sky, but soon gave up after the rain had pelted their exposed eyes for far too long. Instead, they opted to look at the horizon, which help little promise for a respite, as the grey, swirling clouds seemed to go on forever. As they continued to watch the nearby area, a loud bang from thunder nearby shook them off the stumps. They picked themselves up and turned around to see a tree not a hundred meters away had been struck and exploded, with smoke rising into the air. The smoke was short lived, though, as any flame that may have existed was quickly squelched from the downpour.

* * *

><p>9 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 23:38:4119:4 BBY

Presidential Mansion, Unity, Concordo, Concordo System, CSS Capitol Sector

As the battle raged on Saleucami, the most powerful men in the Milky Way Galaxy assembled because of a recent turn of events. In a back room in the expansive Presidential Mansion, the curtains were drawn, and the room was bathed in almost complete darkness, save for the one light form a lamp hanging above the center of a round, wooden table, around which several figures, whose faces were hidden in the darkness, sat. They had been debating for several minutes so far, but no result could be determined.

"Mr. President." a darkened figure evenly said as the door opened.

The figure was silhouetted against the light form the hallway behind, hiding who it was, but his voice gave him away. It was Director Ruckus. After his entrance, he walked around, and took the empty seat on the far end of the table from the President, who regarded him from the moment he entered the room.

"Director Ruckus." the President replied with equal stoicism.

"Mr. President, I'll get right to the point." Ruckus began before leaning in, allowing the bottom half of his face to be revealed by the light, "We've yet to make any contact with Gilgamesh since we lost contact with it yesterday. We have to assume from the messages we did receive that the Covenant Loyalists are responsible, and their numbers have grown to dangerous numbers."

"I know that already, Ruckus. What I want to know, is why." the President replied, his anger over the incident showing in his voice.

"I believe 'why' is irrelevant at the moment, sir." Ruckus replied with equal irritation.

"What shall our course of action by, Mr. President?" Secretary of Defense Rtas Vadum said, his deep voice commanding everyone's attention.

After a short silence, which felt like it went on forever, the President said with no small amount of resignation, "Initiate Cole Protocol. Inform all FLEETCOM sectors to remain on high alert until further notice. Declare Emergency Level Alpha for all civilian sectors."

He then paused for a moment, as if contemplating what he should say, before continuing, "Cancel all civilian interstellar travel until further notice. And ready a press conference. I think the people would like to know why they can't leave their local system for a while."

"Mr. President, if I may." Ruckus poke up as the President placed his hands on the table, and appeared as if he were about to stand.

With those words out, his hands remained, but he sank back down in his chair, and motioned with his right hand for Ruckus to proceed.

"I believe, in light of recent events, we need to initiate the COG Plan." Ruckus said with confidence.

"Surely you can't be serious?" the Secretary of the Interior, Nathan Yule said, with evident outrage at the notion.

"We can't afford to underestimate the abilities of the Covenant Remnant, especially considering contact between them and the Confederacy is a real possibility. We need to be ready for all outcomes, regardless of their likelihood." Ruckus said with grim conviction.

"Well Mr. President. What do you think?" Rtas asked, his voice bespeaking of an uncharacteristic uncertainty.

"The Director is right. All outcomes need to be prepared for. I'll speak with the Congress about initiating the Continuity of Government Plan" the President said with quiet resignation, before standing, and walking to the door Ruckus came through before.

The rest of those assembled stood with him, and exited the room in single file, none speaking a word, or hardly even breathing. The weight just added to their shoulders just increased exponentially.

* * *

><p>Excerpt From the <em>Continuity of Government Plan<em>

_In the event that The Congress is immobilized, destroyed, or incapacitated, and cannot adequately govern the Coalition of Sentient Species, and a state of emergency is in effect, the President and his cabinet will assume control over all legislative and executive functions. The line of succession in the event of the President of the Coalition of Sentient Species being unable to govern will be followed, with the following official assuming the post in the event that the last is unable: President, Vice President, Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, Secretary of the State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Treasury, Attorney General, Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Production and Education, Director of the Office of Naval Intelligence, Secretary of Agriculture, _Secretary of Technological Development, _Secretary of Veteran's Affairs, and Secretary of Transportation. In the event that a President of the Coalition of Sentient Species cannot be determined, then a military council of the two highest ranking officials in the three branches of the military, and the highest ranking judge still accessible will be formed to assume the role. Such council will only be in effect until the state of emergency has concluded, or if one standard year has passed after the initiation of the Continuity of Government Plan.  
><em>


	12. Chapter 11: Tip of the Spear

Chapter 11: Tip of the Spear

9 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 23:31:19/19:4 BBY

Orbit of Tythe, Tythe System, Savareen Sector

Aboard Dooku's personal transport vessel, the secret apprentice kneeled before his master, awaiting him to acknowledge his presence. He was in a dark room that allowed for almost no light, save for the one bright bulb illuminating the center of the room. His master stood opposite of him, the light showing only a dark outline of the imposing figure. It was deathly silent, and only the sounds of his own breathing was heard in Starkiller's ears.

Then, as the apprentice continued to wait for his master, he felt the familiar dark presence behind him, and he closed his eyes to verify his finding. A look of confusion crossed his face, before he opened his eyes to examine the dark figure before him at the other end of the room.

Standing and turning around, the apprentice came face-to-face with his Master, the dark presence he felt being the only indication where the man was, as the light did not shine brightly enough to illuminate the entire room.

Starkiller opened his mouth to ask, before a mixture of shock and pain crossed his face, illuminated by an eerie dark glow. Feeling nothing for the first several milliseconds, he looked down to see Dooku's lightsaber blade stabbing into his abdomen. His already pale face turned more so as the wave of nausea and pain surfaced, and he could only mouth 'Why?' before the red blade retracted into its hilt and he fell down onto his knees.

Dooku, both sensing the confusion and taking note of the silent question, walked around the apprentice, as he held onto the gaping hole in his abdomen, and said once he entered the light in an uncaring, detached tone, "You have failed me by allowing my Master to know of you. Now you must pay the ultimate price."

The surprise only began to sink in before this statement was uttered, and the apprentice was thrown back into utter confusion as the words hung in the air. But, before he could even begin to even try to voice his confusion, a hole opened up below in the floor, and he fell into a darker room, that allowed for no light whatsoever. Just as he blacked out form the pain, which had only grown in intensity, another hatch opened below him, and he was jettisoned into the dark, all-encompassing void of space.

Dooku, feeling satisfied, walked into the cockpit of his craft, and began piloting it back to the surface of Tythe. Unbeknownst to him, though, another craft, which had spent the time using its cloaking device to remain hidden, flew in immediately after the body, and deployed a small probe with several arms and a small, spherical body that reflected little light on its lackluster surface. The probe's photoreceptors immediately noticed the body, and moved towards it, before grabbing onto it with its many arms, holding onto it tightly. As it clung to the body, it maneuvered itself to face the ship, and began moving back to the hatch from whence it came.

Once inside, the hatch closed and the ship was lost in the realm of hyperspace.

* * *

><p>10 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 06:18:4119:4 BBY

Liberty Forward Operating Base, Saleucami, Saleucami System, Sulorine Sector

In the center of a circle of tents that made up the barracks of the forward operating base stood a tent that seemed to be by itself. It was separated from the rest by a two or three meter gap surrounding it, like a road. The wind was kicking up, and thanks to the heavy pikes in the ground on all four corners connecting the tent to the earth, the grey colored tarp moved as a whole form one way to another very little, save for the flaps that acted as the entrance, which moved wildly, and revealed what was transpiring inside.

The scene inside was quite a contrast to the events playing out beyond in the quickly worsening wind storm. A calm silence reigned over the inside of the dark tent, which had only a faint blue light from the holoprojector acting as the sole source of illumination. The souls present, looking over the holoprojector were cramped together, because the tent was not built or designed to house all those currently present. As well as General's Skywalker, Kenobi, Secura, and Vos, Commander Tano was present, with Lieutenant General Winsfeild acting as liaison for the Coalition forces still streaming into the battle zones and F.O.B.'s. Several clone troopers, who tended to work closely with the general, like Rex, and a handful of ODST's and Spec Ops had joined Winsfeild in the tent, watching the battle plan unfold before them with rapt attention, their helmets at their sides, clutched with a vice grip and their weapons clamped on their backs.

Finally, as the silence continued over the group, one of the ODST's, a battalion commander whose name was unimportant, spoke up, asking, "Why don't we just use the ships in orbit to blow the metal bastards to kingdom come?"

At the head of the table, General Secura stood, arms crossed and back straight, as she answered with commanding tone, "The Separatists still have civilians in the city acting as 'human shields' and even if we could, their production facilities are underground in the expansive cavern system. The City's the only place we can infiltrate those facilities en masse, so destroying it only serves to set us back."

"Then attack the tunnels head on." Winsfeild piped in, which came a small shock to most in the room, considering the Lieutenant General had kept him mouth shut for the entirety of the meeting.

"That won't work either." Vos said as he walked up from behind Kenobi, where he had been watching the meeting up until now, and stood beside General Secura, before using the Force to manipulate the table to zoom in on one of the tunnels in question, "They have several layers of defense in every tunnel entrance, and use the narrow tunnels to funnel troops. Even if we had superior numbers, which we don't, they wouldn't matter. We'd be cut to pieces before we got halfway through to our objectives."

"I assure you my troops would break through just fine, General." Rex said, not opting to hide the disdain for the general he, as well as most other clones, felt towards Vos.

"Possibly Rex, but the losses would be unacceptable." Anakin said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, hoping the simple gesture would diffuse the developing situation before it got any worse.

Unfortunately, Fate had different idea for how this meeting would pass.

While squinting, Quinlan Vos said, looking directly at Rex, "Losses are to be expected, Knight Skywalker. The objective is all that matters. The only reason I won't send clones in now is that we wouldn't take it. Loses are negligible"

Anakin's nose twitched slightly, he said in a calm voice that did not mirror the anger that flared inside, "A victory is worth nothing if it is gained with too many losses, _Master_ Vos."

"You're too connected to the clones, Skywalker." Vos spat, while averting his attention to the Knight in question.

The ensuing few moments were marked by a deathly silence, as no one dared to speak to break it. The only actual sound that could be heard by all was the wind continuously moving just beyond the thin fabric that divided the interior from the cold exterior. The temperature seemed to have fallen considerably, as the two Jedi exchanged icy glances at the other.

Finally, Obi-Wan spoke up with a diplomatic tone, while moving to stand in between the two glaring individuals, "We should get back to the task at hand. We are wasting valuable time."

Secura, taking the lead, spoke up for all, "Master Kenobi is right. Let's get back to the battle plans." before walking over quickly to the holoprojector table and pressing down on a few buttons, changing the hologram to one of another particular tunnel.

The hologram itself showed four lines dug into the earth, with numerous red dots pin pricking the area in and near them. The first two seemed to form a semi-circle around the mouth of the cave, which itself was immensely deep. The third one was formed a the threshold of the cave, and the last trench line seemed to be formed at the thin juncture in the cave, around fifty meters away from the third. Amongst the red dots, several larger red boxes, with two lines which extended outward in the direction away from the interior of the cave and fanned out, overlapping with others nearby.

"We've done as much recon as we could," began Secura, who was looking at the table, as the rest of the group walked towards it, "and this is the believed location for each droid." she continued, while pointing towards the dot nearest her.

"The boxes you see are anti-personnel plasma cannon emplacements." she spoke while moving her finer to point at one of the boxes nearest her.

"As you can see, every spot in the outer three lines not covered by a turret is manned with extra droids, and the fourth line lacks any of these spaces." the Jedi General said, a faint tone of resignation in her voice.

Her voice seemed to pick up slightly with determination as she continued, "But, beyond all those defenses lay a tunnel connecting with the Separatists shield generator. Even with the heavy bombardment, supported with the ARC-170's continuous sorties, it will take weeks before the shields are down, and weeks after that before the battle is won."

"However," she continued while looking up into the eyes of the group before her, "if we take the shields down now, the battle will be over that much quicker."

"So you're saying we need to break through to those shield generators?" Anakin asked, stepping forward slightly, coming shoulder to shoulder with Obi-Wan and General Winfield.

"Basically." Master Secura said with a short nod of the head, which was followed by a thoughtful look on Anakin's face, coupled with his prosthetic hand coming up to stroke the beard he didn't have.

"Are there any undefended cave entrances we can use?" Kenobi asked.

"We've done every kind of scan imaginable, and there isn't anything to suggest there is any other entrance other than the one shown." Secura said, her resigned tone returning.

Master Vos took several steps forward and stood beside Master Secura again, before saying, "It'll take several hundred troops supported with heavy artillery...'

Anakin, though, cut him off halfway through, saying, "Are there any commando units on the planet?"

Everyone in the room looked perplexed and wholly confused at Anakin, as he continued to explain, "I think with Omega squad and a squad of Republic Commandos could easily break through those lines, with the help of some artillery and air units, of course."

"There are over _four-hundred_ battle droids manning those trenches, with another fifty Morgukai clones scattered throughout the area. What hope does two squads have against those odds?" Master Vos practically yelled, his inability to comprehend what had gotten into Skywalker showing in his voice.

"Only four-hundred and fifty? That'll be a walk in the park for them." Anakin said matter-of-factly.

"Anakin, do you really think five Spartans and four commandos can take on so many enemies?" Obi-Wan asked, his inquisitive voice carrying an undercurrent of resignation, as if he knew the answer already.

"Yes I do Master. We all know of how effective they are. There isn't a doubt in my mind that this would be a walk in the park for them." Anakin said confidently, bordering on arrogance.

The room was silent for a moment, all trying to wrap their heads around whether or not the plan was either completely insane, or only partially. Everyone bore a thoughtful expression on their faces, save for Anakin, who continuously looked around the room for support, Vos, who looked almost aghast at the proposition, and Winsfeild, who had a small smile grace his features.

Finally, the silence ended when Master Secura asked Winsfeild, "You're the professional for the Coalition's military. Do you think the Spartans themselves could handle this with some help from the Commandoes?"

His smile only grew wider as he said with a professional confidence, "Ma'am, with all due respect, I assure you that The Spartans could pull this off in half the time any of your troops could, and if your commandos are as good as you say they are, this should be the easiest mission they had in a long time."

Aayla only nodded her head in acceptance before saying, "Then it's settled. Omega and Delta squads will, with support from the 212th heavy artillery battalion, and whatever areal support we can muster, breach the Separatists defense perimeter, find the shield generator, and destroy it."

Everyone, save for Master Vos, merely nodded in agreement, and with that, the meeting concluded.

XXX

Liberty Forward Operating Base, Saleucami, Saleucami System, Sulorine Sector

While the meeting was continuing, on the far side of the F.O.B., four Republic Commandoes were cleaning their guns outside a busy mess hall. A group of five clones talking amongst themselves walked by the four man group in silence before returning to their chatter once that passed the threshold into the mess hall.

Sev (RC-1207), a commando known for his penchant with dark humor and who sported various streaks of red pain most notably on his silvery helmet, tilted his head slightly, and heard one of the passing clones say, "Blasted deluxe models."

The commando let out a deep, threatening, almost primal grunt, loud enough for the passing clones to hear, and they responded by quickening their pace, getting out of earshot of the commandos.

Another one of the commandos, who was sitting across from Sev, said in a lighthearted tone, "Do you ever get tired of scaring the new guys?"

Sev looked up, and gazed at the helmet of his pod brother, a plain armored clone commando whose only real distinction was the yellow paint on his wrists, and his lighthearted humor, and replied in the dark, almost foreboding voice to Scorch (RC-1262), "Would you rather I scare them or kill them?"

"Well I always wondered how you'd fare in the brig for killing someone." Scorch replied innocently, as if the notion was one he pondered extensively.

"Probably better than you would chatter-box." Sev replied.

"Alright, cut the chatter Deltas." Fixer (RC-1140) replied in a commanding tone, which was only surpassed by that of Boss (RC-1138) alone.

Then, just as their "conversation" concluded, Boss looked up from the gun he was reassembling to notice a white armored clone approaching them as quickly as his legs could carry him. Inside the helmet, he quirked an eyebrow, and rose to meet the soldier, who was fast approaching. The rest of Delta noticed this, and rose with Boss, passing quick glances of curiosity between each other before noticing the same clone, who was now no more than a few meters away.

"Sirs." the clone began, then, taking in several labored breaths continued, "Your presence has been requested in the HQ." he finished before hunching down and placing his hands on his knees to support himself.

Boss took several steps forward, and placed a hand on the clone's shoulder, before saying, "We'll be there in a minute soldier. Now go on and take a bite to eat." while motioning with his free hand to the tent before them.

The clone took another long breath before replying, "Thank you, sir."

As the clone walked into the tent, disappearing behind the flaps that served as the entrance, Delta squad picked up their DC-17m's and bean walking towards the HQ tent several hundred meters away. The trek took all of about ten minutes, and when they arrived, all those in the tent, consisting of Commander Tano, General's Skywalker, Secura, Kenobi, and Vos, and the Coalition's Lieutenant General Winsfeild looked at the commandos, and motioned for them to come to the holoprojector they were all assembled around. Delta did as requested, and stood at attention before the table, waiting for any orders.

As soon as the squad, lead by Boss, stood in front of the table, which had been deactivated at the moment, General Skywalker began, "Delta squad, I'll get right to the point. We need you four to break through the Seppies defenses around a cave entrance in sector 53-V, defended by upwards of four hundred droids and fifty Morgukai. Once inside, you'll traverse the cave, exit near the droid's shield generator, and destroy it."

"To help you along," General Kenobi piped in, "we'll be sending the Spartans, Omega squad, with you."

"What? You think we can't handle this ourselves?" Sev asked, or yelled, incredulously.

"Cut it Delta." Boss said in a commanding tone that bespoke of no room for argument as he turned his head to look at Sev.

By now, most of those in the room, save for Vos, looked curiously at the cones, their eyebrows raised. Vos, on the other hand, didn't seem particularly surprised or even fazed by the outburst.

"Sorry about the outburst. Sev doesn't like to share the glory." Boss said as he turned his head to look

"Understandable." Winsfeild said in return.

After a tense silence, which lasted for several moments, General Secura said, "You'll be departing at twenty-two hundred hours with Omega squad with you."

With that, the holographic display lit up to reveal the battlefield they would be departing for, with a blinking yellow light several hundred meters south of the outermost trench, and General Secura continued, "You'll all be taking three separate 'Warthogs' to this location," indicating the yellow light with her finger, "to ensure the Separatists can't detect you until it's too late. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am." all the clones responded obediently enough, save for Sev, who's voice carried an undercurrent of resentment.

"You'll also have the support of a detachment of the 212th heavy artillery battalion, battery call-sign 'Blackjack'." Secura continued, as the commandos nodded in understanding.

"Alright. You're all free to go." Aayla said to them, while motioning with her hand to the entrance they came through.

All four clones gave a curtly bow before departing.

Once they were out of earshot, Sev yelled in a threatening voice, "Who the hell do they think they are? Do they think we're a bunch of shinnies who need a hand to hold onto?"

"Calm down Delta." Fixer ordered before turning to Boss, who had stopped on the side of the roadway they were on and stood, waiting for a group of clones to pass by.

"Boss," Fixer began as he walked forward to stand beside Boss, "permission to speak freely?"

"Permission granted, Fixer." Boss said before he began to walk forward across the road and took a seat on an unoccupied crate, with Fixer choosing another nearby and Sev and Scorch choosing to stand for the moment.

"While I disagree with Sev's little outburst," he began while nodding with his head to indicate Sev, who was in the midst of arguing with Scorch, "he has a point. For star's sake, we retook an entire _Acclamator _I-class assault ship by ourselves. This would be a walk in the park."

"I think it has less to do with our proficiency and more to test us." Boss said loud enough for Sev and Scorch to hear as well, and they in turn moved their heads to look as Boss, giving him their undivided attention.

Fixer said while motioning with his hands, "A test?"

"Yes. I think they want to see how well we work with Spartans, for future reference." Boss reasoned, which was met with a relatively long, pensive silence.

"Well then, let's show everyone how overrated these 'Spartans' are." Sev said, his menacing tone maintained throughout the statement, while Scorch nodded in approval.

* * *

><p>10 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 13:27:5419:4 BBY

ONI Zenith Base, Unity, Concordo, Concordo System, CSS Capitol Sector

The hallways near the top of the black, monolith of a structure were bathed in golden light as Concordo Prime was shining brightly down upon the city of Unity. There wasn't a cloud anywhere near the city, and it shone a beautiful blue quite similar to Earth's own sky. The light reflected brightly upon the white marble floor, and the lower portion of the adjacent wall, itself a mix of tan and white marble with regular intervals of paintings hanging in decadent golden frames with intricate designs for each, complimenting the paintings themselves.

The sound of rapidly moving footfalls echoed through the hallway as an entourage of people, numbering five in total, walked at a fast pace through the black doorway at the far end of the hallway, and began to quickly move through the corridor. At the forefront of the entourage, Director Ruckus in a clean black suite complemented by a pure black tie, pure black pants, cleanly polished black shoes, and ghostly white undershirt, walked with a datapad in hand as he scrolled through the data present on the device. Behind him, similarly dressed individuals walked at the same pace, keeping up with their leader effortlessly, and all walking in regular v-formation behind. The only sound they made was from the soles of their shoes contacting the polished marble of the floor and sending a resounding thud throughout the hallway at every step.

Finally, the entourage neared another black door on the opposite end of the fifty meter long hallway, and the four individuals trailing Director Ruckus stopped at the door, as he pushed it open, his gaze still focused on the datapad in his hand. The door automatically closed behind him, and the four people left in the hallway turned heel and returned where they came, leaving Ruckus alone in his personal office.

The room was much like the one he had in the Alpha Base, with a large panoramic window covering all of the wall behind where his desk was. The desk itself was a dark mahogany, and very plain for someone with as much power and influence as he wielded. The floor, rather than the white marble of the hallways, was a plain grey covering. The room wasn't noticeably large, nor decadent, but it did sport several paintings like the hallway, with intricate designs on both the parchment and the golden frames holding them. A black, leather chair was tucked into the desk, which sported a small, silver, half spherical device on it.

Ruckus neared the desk, and pressed his index finger on the top of the half-sphere. It immediately came to life, and projected several holograms before him. He used his fingers to nimbly move them out of the way or in front of his vision as he took a seat on the chair, and laid back comfortably on it.

His focus then was diverted to a flashing red light at the center of the collection of holograms before him, and he taped it with his finger, revealing an image of a man in black suit much like his own, with black sunglasses masking his, no doubt calculating, eyes.

"Director." the man said with a curtly bow of the head, his voice cultured and collected, as he continued, "The COG Plan will pass. Enough senators and representatives have been...persuaded, and are going to vote in its favor today."

"Excellent." Ruckus replied, Keep me updated on any developments."

"Yes sir." the agent replied before his hologram faded out of existence, and Ruckus continued with his previous task, only with a devilish grin marring his features as he did so.

* * *

><p>10 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 20:27:3219:4 BBY

CSS _Invisiblis_, Orbit of Saleucami, Saleucami System, Sulorine Sector

High in orbit above Saleucami, Omega squad was waiting in the hanger bay of the stealth vessel, for their Pelican to arrive. The hanger was relatively empty, save for the squad of Spartans, fully armored, and Captain O'Neil, who was standing off to the side of the hanger nearest the exit with Ben in front of her, his helmet clutched under his right arm and his rifle on the magnetic clamp on his back.

"You better come back. You'll be in a world of shit if you don't set foot on this ship by month's end." O'Neil said in her usual calm voice, but a slight quiver in it did not go unnoticed by Ben.

Ben allowed a roguish smile to escape his features as he replied, "I can't think of any place I'd rather be than right here, on this ship."

O'Neil gave a small smile in return before leaning in and up towards the towering Spartan. Ben met her halfway, and they shared a short, passionate kiss before he was forced to break it off. He began walking away, a satisfied grin crossing his face, as he neared the team of Spartans. O'Neil wore the same expression, and a small, almost unnoticeable tear escaped her grasp and fell from her eyes, landing on her cheek and making its way down her face.

As Ben entered the Pelican, the other Spartans all of whom were observing the event with great scrutiny, patted their squad leader on the back. He turned back, and gave a mock salute to the captain, before placing the helmet gently on his head. He noticed before the ramp closed in front of him that O'Neil had returned the gesture.

Ben remained quiet during the journey as his Spartans spent it enjoying banter between each other. The trip itself was short, and the craft landed minutes later on a landing pad in the center of an F.O.B. Fuel cells and barrels surrounded them in high mounds, and sand bags were a plenty in the F.O.B. The Spartans, led by Ben, exited the Pelican down the ramp and moved through the chest high wall of sand bags that served as the perimeter for the dirt landing pad. the sky was a pleasant shade of dark blue, orange, purple, and red, as the local star began dipping below the horizon. The brutal wind from before had died down to a gentle breeze. They all took a right, and began moving through the roadways and paths of the F.O.B. As troops passed by, they stood off to the side, stopping whatever they were doing, and either gave nod of approval to the well-known warriors, or a salute, both of which were reciprocated.

Soon enough, the Spartans found themselves in the entrance of the tent they were told to go to. It was unmistakably the command tent, as it was the largest grey tarp in the area, and was surrounded by unoccupied land that served as a small path around the tent, several meters in width.

The Spartans neared the flaps of the tent that served as its entrance, and pushed them aside as they filed in one at a time. They entered into a dimly lit area, with several individuals surrounding a holoprojector, which was giving off a faint blue light by projecting an image the Spartans could not yet see.

General Secura, who was at the forefront of the holoprojector, said to the Spartans in a questioning tone, "Omega squad, I presume?"

"Yes, ma'am." Ben replied automatically, before giving a salute to the commanding officer and those around her, including Generals Kenobi, and Vos, and Lieutenant General Winsfeild.

"Pardon my intrusion, but where is General Skywalker and Commander Tano?" Ben asked.

"They're out sparring in one of the 'courtyards'." General Kenobi replied with amusement lacing his voice.

"Sounds like they're having fun." Greg replied from behind Ben, amusement also lacing his voice.

"Quite." General Kenobi replied, a small smile still gracing his features.

"Regardless, we're here reporting for duty." Ben declared in his patented even voice.

"Good." General Secura said simply before motioning to the table, diverting the Spartan's attention to it, as it showed a hologram of a steep hillside, with a large, flat plateau roughly three-quarters the way up, before continuing upward. There was a cave entrance, with several layers of trenches beyond it, and one inside the cave, and a tunnel that seemed to go up slightly before going down in a steep slope and then leveling out, going on to some unknown location.

"You will, with the help of a squad of Republic Commandoes, arrive half a click from the outermost defensive perimeter via three 'Warthogs' of your choosing." General Secura said while motioning to a yellow dot on the other side of a hill parallel to the one they would be attacking.

"Once you're through the four layers of trenches, you'll be traversing the cave, and on the other side you'll find a shield generator half a click to your south." she continued, while moving the hologram to focus on the structure in question, which was towering well above the other, adobe looking building that made up the city they would be infiltrating.

"Destroy it, and link up with allied forces who will be attacking once the shield is down." the general finished, as the hologram winced out of existence, and the light above them, which had been dimmed considerably, brightened.

Everyone's eyes squinted momentarily before adjusting to the new wave of bright light.

"Who's going to be the highest ranking officer on this assignment?" Ben questioned.

"Considering the experience the commandos have, RC-1138, or 'Boss', will be the commanding officer, with you, Ben, right behind him. Understood?" Secura replied, to which Ben and the rest of Omega squad merely nodded in understanding.

"When do we set out General?" Ben asked after a short pause in the briefing.

"Twenty-two hundred hours Ben. Plenty of time to get... acquainted with the Commandoes." General Secura said with a barely noticeable smirk, which was replicated on all the others in the room, perplexing the Spartans.

Nevertheless, Ben simply replied, "Yes ma'am. Anything else?"

"No, you're free to go." Secura aid, which won her and the rest in the room a salute from all the Spartans, which was quickly returned, before they all turned heel and filed out of the tent, leaving them to their devices.

Once back outside, the Spartans made haste to the vehicle depot to pick out the Warthogs they would be taking. Several minutes after their briefing, they turned a corner, and came fact-to-face with the commandos they would be fighting alongside. The commandos were seated on four different crates, and were deep in some discussion with each other. their helmets had been discarded, laying on the ground next to them, the dust from the dirt road covering the lower halves of each. The Spartans all felt a sense of unease wash over them at seeing the same face attached to different bodies. They all knew about the clones well enough, but this was truly the first time they came face-to-face with it.

Their pause did not go unnoticed, and one of the commandos, one painted with red war paint on his adjacent helmet -which looked all to similar to something one would find in a blood splatter analysis lab- and several places on his armor that he still wore, stood up. He then leaned down and picked up his helmet near his left leg. As the other three commandos followed their brother's lead, the red painted commando averted his gaze from the Spartans and looked at the helmet reverently before placing it on his head with a certain gentle touch that seemed wholly contradictory to the calloused nature of the commandos that the Spartans had heard so much about.

With his helmet on, the red painted commando neared the Spartans, and stood in front of Ben, allowing a tense silence to follow for some time. The air itself seemed to stop and observe the encounter. Ben, trying to break the silence properly, extended his hand, waiting for the commando to shake it. the red painted soldier did no such thing, instead looking down at the outstretched appendage, and looking back up, shaking his head in disagreement. Ben merely retracted his hand and waited for someone to say something.

Finally, the red painted commando, with his comrades right behind him, pointed a menacing finger at Ben, an said in an equally menacing voice, "Just stay out of our way _shinnies_, and let us do our job."

"Shinnies?" Greg asked, in an inquisitive tone.

"It's not exactly a term of endearment, Greg." another Spartan, Ruse, replied in his trademarked Slavic accent, which seemed to add a certain level of humor to the obvious statement.

"You making fun of us asshole?" Will said indigently while taking a step closer to the clone in question, who seemed to attempt to step forward, readying for a fight.

In response, the other three commandos took a step closer to the comrade, and pulled him back behind them. While the red one was being pulled back, another, this one having a relatively clean helmet, save for the dirt, and orange paint on various places on his white armor, including a stripe of orange paint that narrowed from the back to the front as it neared his blue, T-shaped visor, stepped forward.

The new commando said to the assembled Spartans in a relatively cultured, commanding accent that seemed wholly different from the previous one, "Sorry about Sev. He doesn't like new people."

He then continued, "I'm RC-1138, or 'Boss'," before continuing while motioning to a clone with green paint on his armor, including a green, uniformly wide band of green on his helmet "This is 'Fixer' or RC-1140."

He then motioned to the red painted commando, who had his arms crossed over his chest, while saying, "This fine fellow, as you know, is Sev, or RC-1207," and then he motioned to a sparsely yellow painted commando, and said, "and this is 'Scorch', or RC-1262"

Ben merely nodded to each acknowledgement, before saying in return, "I'm Omega-1, or Ben-723" He then motioned to his left, while saying, "She is Omega-2, or Kim-649, and Omega-4, or Ruse-481."

He the continued by motioning with his other hand, towards his right, with the commandos' gaze following his movements, while saying, "And these two are Omega's 3 and 5, or Ron-509 and Greg-905, respectively."

Another silence had befallen the group before Ben spoke up, saying, "We were just about to pick out the 'hogs we were going to take out. I think it best you join us."

"I agree." Boss replied then turned around to face his squad-mates, before ordering, "Delta's, form up."

The other commandos of delta squad did as instructed, and fell into step behind Boss, who had taken up his position on Ben's right side, with the other four Spartans flanking his left. The group took up the entire roadway, and all other soldiers, clone and Coalition, stepped out of their way and saluted, or gawked, at the strange procession of elite soldiers. Beneath his mask, Ben sported a satisfied grin that he still elicited that type of response from other soldiers, while Boss and company's countenance was remaining neutral.

* * *

><p>10 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 22:09:1819:4 BBY

Sector 53-V, Saleucami, Saleucami System, Sulorine Sector

Trees waved haphazardly and the ground was pelted with raindrops coming down in sheets as the dark, rolling skies above continued to storm about. Lightning crackled and thunder boomed almost every minute, illuminating the area more so than it already was. Considering the time and the lack of proper light from the stars and local stellar satellites, only the distinct outline of the road's outer banks ensured that the three vehicles traversing the quagmire didn't simply drive straight into a tree or into a rock side. Well, that and the three pairs of headlights that acted as illumination for the area twenty meters ahead and a little over five wide at its furthest. Together, they illuminated the road ahead entirely, and the storm covered the sound of their engines well enough that any defenders wouldn't have heard a thing unless they were standing right next to the purring mechanism.

The three vehicles wove through the road's winding and twisting turns with relative ease, the drivers all experts on how to properly handle a Warthog. They drove through the wide dirt road in a v-formation, with one Warthog, Ben at the wheel, Boss on the passenger seat, and Ruse handling the M63 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun (Note: M41 version of the LAAG, only faster rate of fire, and smaller, faster shells) mounted on the back. To their right, Kim was driving the Warthog, with Fixer in the passenger seat and Greg mounting the M63 LAAG on the back. Finally, to the left of the formation, with Ron driving the fierce beast of a vehicle, Scorch in the passenger seat, and Sev mounting the M76 Gauss Cannon (Basically the same, only shell moves slightly faster) on the back, with a great, very concerning sense of enjoyment.

As the group made a sharp left turn and found themselves going down a relatively straight path, Scorch said into the squad-based com unit for all to hear, "Was it really a good idea giving Sev the biggest, most powerful gun we could?"

"It will be when I'm killing everything that's in our way." Sev said with no little amount of disturbing glee in his normal deep voice.

"I think you enjoy this job a little too much Sev." Scorch replied, making everyone give a short, laugh before returning their focus to the task at hand, save for the two warring clones.

Just as Sev was undoubtedly about to retort with something more disturbing than his last statement, Fixer piped in, "Cut the chatter you two. Boss, how much farther?"

After a quick consultation with the map available on his HUD, Boss replied, "Less than half a click to the drop off point Del-"

Boss paused shortly, for less than half a second, before continuing where he left off with, "_Killjoy's_" saying the unfamiliar word of identification they were given with some disgust evident by his tone.

Ben, taking note of this, said into the com unit, "I hate the call-sign almost as much as you do, but we can formerly request a new one after we're done."

"And not a moment too soon." Greg whispered into his com unit just loud enough for the rest of the impromptu squad to hear through their own devices.

With that, the team ended the banter, and soon enough, the Warthogs came to a complete stop, and everyone either stepped or jumped out of their respective warthogs forming a circle around each other with Boss and Ben at the head.

"Check your mags." Ben ordered, and the rest of the squad pulled out their cartridges and checked the number of rounds they had left, and even Delta squad tilted their heads to check to see that the holographic number on the side of their DC-17m's registered a full cartridge.

Boss then ordered with the usual hand signal, "Form up on me men."

"Yes sir." they all replied dutifully, before falling in step behind the rapidly moving squad leader into the nearby woods and up the slope of a nearby hill.

Their trek was relatively short, as the squad was easily able to overcome any natural obstacle that stood in their way up the imposing hill. Once at the crest of the hill, able to look at the nearest other hill, their objective, they had to polarize their helmets momentarily to continue to see. None in the team had considered to turn off their light amplification systems in their HUD's, so when they came across the floodlights that bathed the hill and surrounding area in blindingly bright lights, their retinas screamed in protest, and they all fell back, covering their eyes in a futile attempt to save themselves from the brutal after-effects of such an occurrence.

While it only took seconds for the Spartans and commandos to recuperate, it was still far too long for any of their tastes. Regardless, they all wisely polarized their visors and peered over the hill, their bodies prone on the ground or hugging a nearby tree for cover. What they saw, while not surprising, still gave them all a sense of exhilaration and dread at the same time.

Below them and to the right of their position was the tunnel they were to infiltrate, and guarding it, as was expected, were hundreds of droids, committed to various positions standing guard in their less than intricate trenches or marching in perfect formation around the perimeter. At regular intervals, the trenches expanded to allow a "machine gun" nest, of sorts, to sit, with a droid manning the deadly anti-personal gun. Several anti-vehicle turrets and even a few anti-aircraft guns rested between the second and third trenches, closest to the cave entrance, which rose high above the countless droids.

Seeing that even with their combined prowess, they would be unable to break through those defenses, Boss lowered himself back behind the hill, with the rest of Killjoy squad following suit. He then motioned with his free hand for the rest of the squad to form a circle around him. They did so without complaint, and soon enough, they were all ready for what Boss had to say.

"I think we're all in agreement that there isn't a way in Sith Hell we're going to breach those lines without some help." Boss said in a low hushed voice, which was responded by everyone nodding in agreement.

"So then let's rain Sith Hell down on the metal bastards." Boss continued, before moving back up the hill, the rest of the squad joining him.

As he moved up to the crest of the hill again, he pressed a hand to his helmet, activating the inferred targeting system, allowing him to have an accurate measure of distance and angle, as well as pulling up a holographic map of the area, dividing into square sections.

Then, he switched frequencies, and said into his com unit, "Blackjack, this is Killjoy, creeping barrage, 100 meters, direction north, over."

After a short pause, a reply came in the form of a feminine voice replying, "Killjoy, this is Blackjack, creeping barrage, 100 meters, direction north, out."

Checking the holographic map still on his HUD, Boss continued, "Grid VR five-two-niner five-five-seven, over."

Again, a short pause, before the same voice replied, "Grid VR five-two-niner five-five-seven, out."

Boss continued, focusing on the first line of trenches, "Twenty-two turrets, four-hundred enemy infantry entrenched, and fifty infantry in the open, danger close, over."

"Twenty-two turrets, four-hundred enemy infantry entrenched, and fifty infantry in the open, danger close, out."

There was another pause, this one longer than all the others, before the voice returned, saying, "B, D, G, V, DPICM in effect, 15 rounds, over."

Boss said automatically in response, " B, D, G, V, DPICM in effect, 15 rounds, out."

There was a noticeable sound of explosions in the backround of the connection, and the next thing Boss heard was the voice on the other end saying, "Shots, over." to which Boss replied, more so to his squad, "Shots, out."

Everyone in Killjoy purposefully ducked as low as possible, hugging onto nearby trees or clinging to the ground for cover, as the familiar hum of artillery shells increased in volume. Even the clones of Delta squad, accustomed to the sound of plasma-based artillery rounds, still understood what the whine meant, and followed suit.

As the seconds ticked away, the now familiar feminine voice said to Boss, "Splash over." to which Boss said without conscious thought, "Splash out."

Boss took this as his cue, and lifted his head slightly to get a good view of the Separatist position. What he saw was something that, while he was used to the sight, was still awe inspiring. The first round, moving too fast for any eye, human or otherwise, to see, exploded several meters in the air. Countless thousands of pieces of shrapnel, now burning so hot that they appeared white for the brief moment of time in which they were visible, burning the air itself, exploded downward from the sizable explosion. The droids in the trenches, all looking up to see what was causing the clearly audible whine previously, were literally vaporized, the shards of shrapnel tearing through them like they were made of butter. All the shrapnel, combined with the ever growing white hot expanse that was the explosion, sent giant plumes of dirt and debris into the air, and sent a shockwave expanding in all directions.

Boss, noticing the shockwave no more than a second away, ducked back down behind the hill, and waited for it to pass over. It felt like gale-force winds were whipping up a storm above him, as the dirt, carried by the wind, fell back to the earth and upon the squad. They were all covered by the brown substance, but it was quickly washed off by the continuing rain, which still fell in sheets around them, but the sound of thunder seemed distant, maybe a side-effect of the explosion nearby.

When the dust settled, Boss and the rest of Killjoy peered over the crest of the hill, and saw utter devastation. At the center of the once unscathed trench line was now a gaping crater, with black smoke rising high into the air. Small fires continued to rage where the shell landed, before being drowned by the torrential downpour.

Boss, realizing that he needed to notify that it was a good shot to the artillery battery, said into his com unit, "Good shot, over."

The voice never replied, but instead the com unit was awash with the sound of many other explosions being set, signifying that more rounds were inbound. Boss stood, with the rest of his squad joining him, and walked to the crest of the hill, observing the continued disarray of the Separatist position.

Then the whine came back, only amplified with many others adding to the deadly orchestra. The soldiers of Killjoy just stood there, waiting, and they were rewarded with many other explosions all around and inside the trenches of the Separatists. They seemed to be randomly placed, but as the explosions and whines continued, they seemed to be moving in an orderly fashion, away from them and towards the cave entrance.

Boss, seeing this as the best opportunity to attack ,while the droids and Morgukai were still confused, motioned twice with the universal signal for charge. The soldiers did not delay, as they raised their weapons, and charged forward. The Spartans were the first to fire, their rounds adding to the cacophony of distant thunder and omnipresent artillery rounds exploding around the Separatists. The muzzle flashes lit up the area around them as the rounds for their weapons all met their marks, sending Morgukai and droid alike down for the count.

Loose branches and twigs, previously their greatest enemy, were stomped on with impunity, breaking under the strain that was put on them by the feet of the super-soldiers. Moving too fast to be stopped, the soldiers traveled down the hill in record time, without so much of a single shot from the droids as retaliation.

Once again, they were climbing another hill, only this time, they were firing everything they had at any exposed enemy. The commandos had opened up with the Spartans, who took the brief moment to reload, and their accuracy proved to be almost as good as that of their comrades, falling many enemies before them. While their plasma rounds weren't as effective as the Spartan's bullets, considering the droids were specifically built to be somewhat plasma resistant, their shots were true, and when the Spartans were back in the fight, not a single enemy stood to oppose them.

They were up and over the crest of the second hill in a little over half a minute, and they stood, facing an enemy confused but ready to fight. Even though the artillery barrage was still raging, it was onto the last set of trenches, and the remnants of the first two were standing ready for an assault. What the droids and Morgukai weren't expecting were a group of nine soldiers.

There was a short pause in the fighting between the two sides, in which the soldiers of Killjoy used to roll into cover behind a mound of dirt two meters high and circular in shape ten meters in diameter that had been kicked up by the barrage. Once they had concluded their roll, they used the momentum to launch grenades, of which they had readied while rolling, into the first row of trenches, particularly at the two remaining MG nests that were left relatively unscathed, saved for torn camouflage roofs. A total of four grenades, two thermal and two fragmentation, landed inside, and rolled around. The fire momentarily stopped, and the squad looked up to see the MG nest engulfed in massive explosions. The droids began a short-lived shrill, mechanical cry as more of a warning than a vocal expression of pain, as the explosion and ensuing incineration obliterated them.

The line stopped firing, and all those in Killjoy popped their heads up and over the mound of mud and dirt, noticing the black plumes of smoke rising into the air. The metal support beams that held up the trenches and MG nests were bent in unnatural angles, portions melted away from the extreme heat or bisected entirely from the force of the explosion and shrapnel. Mud and dirt had fallen in like a mudslide, filling the trench in the brown substance.

Their peace was short lived, however, as the remaining droid defenders began firing their ruby lasers at the exposed attackers. Boss and company ducked down behind the mound of earth, as it was pummeled by the never-ending fire from the Separatists. The top of the mound was etched away in small increments as shots continued to land, vaporizing the dirt entirely, while the rest of the mound of dirt, mud, and debris was pot marked with scorch marks and craters from various munitions impacting. The din of battle here was almost deafening as the artillery bombardment continued, sending continuous shockwaves around and large pieces of shrapnel into the hostiles positions.

There was a short respite, and Boss used this as his opportunity to begin returning fire, with the rest of Killjoy joining him. Their combined accurate fire decimated the droid positions, but they had ample troops left, and once their fire was concentrated enough, the super-soldiers were forced back behind cover.

As the sea of red plasma continued to wash over their position like waves against a rocky shore, Boss was able to see a gap in the Separatist position in the trenches, where no droids occupied a stretch of roughly ten meters. It seemed the droids were not going to reinforce that point in the line, either.

Once back behind cover, Boss looked back at his squad, and pointed to Sev, Scorch, Fixer, and Greg, and then said while pointing towards the empty stretch of trench, "You four, Killjoy-1, get into the trench system from there and plow through the Seppies, while we," he then stopped momentarily to indicate the rest of the squad with another hand motion, "Killjoy-2, lay down suppression fire."

"Yes sir." they all replied before retuning to their previous positions mounted against the mound of water-logged earth.

They all stayed there, waiting for the order, as Boss raised his left hand, and allowed his index, middle, and thumb to stick out, before retracting the thumb after one second, then the middle, after another, and finally the index after the last. Once the last finger had been retracted, he fanned with his hand indicating for the four to move out, then rose up, his hand back on his weapon, and began laying down fire on the exposed Separatists.

Boss looked down the sights of his DC-17m rifle, and lined up a shot with the exposed, irregular shaped head of a standard issue B1. He squeezed the trigger, and a myriad of plasma projectiles spewed forth from his weapon, with deadly accuracy, decapitating the droid with only a handful of shots. Within the space of milliseconds, Boss identified another B1, and fired in a similar manner at the exposed head of the unsuspecting droid. Yet again, with a flurry of sparks and electricity shooting out from the wound, the droid became headless, and crumpled to the floor of the trench, his weapon discharging once and hitting nearby comrade in its center of mass, sending it down for the count as well.

Yet again, the commando identified another target, this time a B2 that had found its way into the open and walking at a leisurely pace towards their position, its arm outstretched and ready to rain down heavy bolts of plasma upon them. Boss took careful aim for the equivalent of a head on the blue monstrosity, and pulled the trigger. Blue bolts moving at speeds that only a Jedi could detect impacted with the armor of the droid, and began tearing apart the protective layer that shielded the inner workings of the machine form the elements. After merely ten shots, the casing protecting the inner circuitry fell from its place and landed in the mud, almost disappearing under it.

Before Boss could continue with his attack, an unwelcome click sounded form his weapon, and he risked a brief glace at the DC-17m to see the holographic display on the side reading double zeroes. He plopped back behind cover and retrieved a magazine of plasma rounds from a compartment near his waist. And not a moment too soon, as by the time he had took cover to now, the B2 had begun firing where he was, burning the air and sending visible plumes of steam from the vaporized rain into the atmosphere. The bolts flew past, and impacted the tree line behind them, tearing apart the vegetation and falling more than a few young trees.

Boss placed the cartridge in the proper place at the side of his rifle with such expertise that could only be acquired form countless hours performing the task, and waited for the few milliseconds for the display to read sixty before preparing to rise once the B2 had finished its assault. Soon enough, the droid had concluded its attack, and Boss wasted no time in rising, and taking aim at the noticeable red dot at the center of the black expanse where the head used to occupy. Firing a quick burst of plasma directly where the crimson light originated, the droid shuddered slightly, and Boss allowed himself to fire elsewhere in the small area of uncovered wiring and machinery. After only a handful more shots, the B2 had suffered more than it could handle, and fell unto its knees, shuddering more violently before falling "face-first" into the muddy ground, sinking so far down and getting covered in so much brown mush that someone less observant would have passed by without even noticing the former war machine even rested there.

By now, Boss had noticed the rate of fire from the droid positions had decreased considerably, and the others in his fire team that had remained behind had stopped firing, looking at him for orders. Taking quick glances around, Boss quickly came to the conclusion that the area, at least in the first trench, was secure, with only a handful of pot-shots taken by other droids either skimmed over or in the other trenches.

Boss the motioned forward with his left hand while saying in the com unit, "Killjoy-2, move up." before rising with the rest of his immediate fire team and bounding over the whittled down mound of charred and black crusted mud that they had used for cover so far.

Once over the mound of mud, they sprinted over to the nearby trench, and jumped in, sending giant globules of mud and some dust from the drier parts of the trench into the air, while shaking the area for a brief moment like a mini earthquake. This was repeated with every other member's entry, and within the span of seconds, they all had entered the relatively wide trench and were making their way through the labyrinth. The trench itself was reinforced on both sides by equally cut logs of wood from the nearby woods, and posts that rose at least three meters into the air spaced out evenly at ten meter intervals. It wound through the ground, splitting up and combining at various points to make a maze, all interconnected with only broad areas that could be defined as layers that made up the trench system defending the cave.

After taking another left turn, Boss came across the men of Killjoy-1 scanning the area quickly and thoroughly for remaining enemies. Several droid corpses lay strewn about on the ground, gradually sinking down, their blasters discarded and various body parts missing, with charred metal marking where the plasma had dismembered them or liquefied their innards. The area behind where they lay was also pot marked with scorch marks and bullet holes, indicating that not all their fire was as accurate as they might like.

"Form up on me Killjoy." Boss ordered into the com unit, to which the squad responded by lining up behind Boss, their weapons held in a slack position across their chest, as they waited for new orders.

Boss simply began moving forward through the trench system, using the mini map still present in his HUD, as well as a yellow indicator showing how much distance he had left to travel until he reached his objective. His squad mates raised their rifles again at the ready position, and they formed up on the commando, Ben on his side matching his speed step for step, scanning the area with his BR for any remaining droid opponents.

After several turns, they came across a section that was left relatively unscathed by the artillery bombardment, lacking any discernible signs of occupants. It stretched on for over thirty meters, with a fork at the end, both sides leading to the same place according to Boss's HUD. They made their way through the corridor, taking careful, measured steps while moving their rifles up and down, side to side, scanning the area in and above the trench for droids or the surprisingly absent Morgukai warriors.

Just as Boss was about to think he was home free, a surprised grunt filled his ears form one of the Spartans. He turned heel, leveling his rifle at the source of the sound, Ron, and noticed a Morgukai, obviously hidden before, had jumped down on the soldier guarding their rear. Its spear was laying on the mud, broken in half, indicating his aim was less than true and the Spartan's famed lightning fast reflexes had avoided the object, before probably grabbing onto it and simply using his superior leverage and strength to snap the object in two.

Now, the Morgukai had pulled out a hidden blade, and twirled it around in his right hand, the blade itself vibrating slightly. Boss and the other would have shot, but the Morgukai had charged forward across the meter dividing him from Ron, preventing them from taking an accurate shot. Besides, Boss wanted to see, first hand, how the Spartans fared in CQC.

He was not disappointed.

The Morgukai, who was holding the knife in a traditional manner, turned it slightly to allow the palm to face skyward and stabbed towards the Spartan's relatively exposed neck. Ron, with the help of the genetic augmentations and the quick reacting armor that enhanced his reaction time considerably, stepped to the left and out of the way of the knife, before wrapping his arm above and around the Morgukai's arm, the cloned hostile unable to even notice what was happening. Tightening his hold while simultaneously lifting himself up and back slightly, Ron broke the various bones making of the Morgukai's weapon arm, causing it to drop the knife because of the searing pain shooting up through its injury. Then, while the clone warrior was dazed and somewhat confused over what just happened, Ron kicked the Morgukai right in the center of its mass, with only half of whatever force he could muster, sending it flying back several meters, before landing, a giant dent in its armor where the foot impacted, no doubt causing great internal damage.

Its death was confirmed when the red skinned enemy's chest never rose again, and its breaths seemed to cease.

Ron then picked up the discarded weapon, which had fallen when the engagement began, and rubbed his thumb against the sight reticle of his BR, clearing it of the invasive muck. He then, noticing all eyes were upon him, nodded slightly before raising his weapon to continue scanning the area, which everyone else soon did.

Boss simply nodded to the Spartan before turning back around and moving at his previous pace, everyone else following suit. Soon enough, they came across the fork in the road, and Boss, deciding that since both leaded in the same direction, chose a random direction, in this case left, and began weaving his way through the quickly tightening trench line. It had become so cramped that they could only move in single file, with Boss at the lead, Ben following him no more than a step behind, and Ron and Sev taking up the rear, walking backward to keep themselves fully covered, everyone else scanning every possible angle an enemy could attack from.

Boss turned a right corner, and came face-to-face with a group of five B1's and a single B2, all facing him, their blasters ready. Instinctively, he dropped down to one knee, and began firing on the blue monolith that rose considerably above the rest. Ben, seeing the predicament they were in, leaned right and began firing with Boss on the blue behemoth, while Fixer, who was right behind him, leaned left to fire on the other droids. The central and head coverings of the B2 were quickly torn away, and the internal circuitry was perforated with bullet holes and burnt to a crisp with the ionized plasma. It quickly fell forward, after only firing a handful of inaccurate shots at the attackers, and landing on a nearby B1, crushing the unfortunate battle droid.

Fixer had some success with the B1's, and was down to two left, both firing rapidly on the super-soldiers. The Spartan's shields flared into existence and commando's armor absorbed the impact of the plasma quite effectively as the droids continued to fire on them. However, with their combined accurate and devastating firepower, the droids were destroyed, slumping to the ground with their brothers and sinking slightly into the mud and pools of water that had accumulated in the trenches as oil and mechanical fluid oozed out of their open or cauterized wounds.

Fixer, Ben, and Boss reloaded before continuing, and soon enough, they came to the cave entrance, with not so much as a single hostile engagement. The cave was on a raised portion of the ground, taller than any of the soldiers, and wide enough to allow everyone of the nine members of Killjoy squad to file in line abreast formation.

Boss motioned with his hand for the others to form a wedge formation behind him, and took several tentative steps up the raised earth to get a good view of the inside of the cave. He noticed the earth continued to raise gradually for thirty meters, before leveling out inside the cave itself was illuminated by a series of lights that hung onto the roof, black wiring connecting all the small lights. Boss, with Killjoy right behind him, quickly moved forward, stopping only when the flat dirt beyond the forty meter mark was above him. He then looked up over the ground, risking a view of the Separatists position he knew was beyond. As soon as his head rose above the hillock, intense fire form a myriad of ruby red beams of plasma engulfed the air around him, ionizing it and singing his already scorched armor.

His quick reflexes allowed him the ability to duck down as quickly as the plasma bolts were fired, and they flew over his helmet harmlessly, moving on to impact the various trees of the woods far behind, setting some alight briefly before the fires were squelched by the continuing rain, or impacting the roof of the cave, sending dust and small chunks of rock falling around the super-soldiers.

The other members of his squad moved up to crouch down next to him, and Boss looked form left to right, nodding his head to confirm what they already thought. In the next moment, Boss picked out an EMP grenade he was carrying, and pressed the ignition button at the top, waiting several seconds before lobbing it above his head. The rest of Killjoy did the same with their various standard issue EMP grenades.

There was a brief period in which the fire stopped entirely, and Boss risked a look above the raised earth to see the Separatists position some ten meters away. This time, there was not attempt on his life, and within seconds, the familiar sound of EMP grenades detonating filled his ears, and the numerous shapes of droids fell from their various vantage points to lay slumped on the ground in their defense works.

Taking this as his opportunity, Boss shot up and began sprinting towards the Separatists position, with the other soldiers of Killjoy right behind him. They easily bounded over the raised defense works, and jumped over the trench, this one much thinner than its outdoor brothers. As he was jumping, and as soon as he finished landing, he shot at the various shapes of fallen droids, ensuring they were truly down for the count. The others in his squad did the same, and within seconds, all the droids were dismembered by the various munitions used against them, their electric circuits sending blue sparks into the ground like spider webs from their wounds.

From there, the travel through the cave was relatively easy.

XXX

Chancellor's Suite, Senate Building, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Coruscant Sector

In the darkened Chancellor's Suite, Palpatine sat at his desk, looking out at the intricate skylanes of the expansive city. Briefly thinking of the empire he was to create, and how it was just on the crisp of conception. Palpatine stood, and mulled over the news he just received from a slightly richer bounty hunter. Gaining the loyalty of the secret apprentice, Starkiller, as Dooku dubbed him, would be easy. The quest for revenge would be all he needed to gain his support, and once he had slain his former master, he would be fully engulfed by the Dark Side. From there, simple persuasion with the promise of power was all he would need to keep him in check, and the constant reminder that he, the master, was always more powerful would ensure their status quo would remain.

Shaking all of this from his head, Palpatine inched over towards the com unit installed into his desk, and said into it for his aid to hear, "Janette, can you please cancel all my meetings for the next three days. I have an important errand to run off planet, and wish not to be disturbed."

There was a short pause, before the aid replied, "Of course sir. I'll inform the Loyalist Committee and first thing tomorrow."

Palpatine smiled slightly that the mention of the Loyalist Committee, and the great pleasure he would have upon their death's, most notably that of Amidala, before he replied, "Thank you."

He leaned back in his chair, and allowed a smile to grace his features, as he thought of all his planning that would soon pay off immensely. '_And to think_', he thought, '_all it would take is one proper apprentice to make my empire a reality_'.

XXX

The squad met little resistance, encountering only a handful of Morgukai warriors leading squads of droids. Within ten minutes, they were through the tunnel and out the other side, and the sight before them was both awe inspiring and disheartening.

It appeared they exited through a slum section of the city, with low buildings practically touching each other, the alleyways between them only wide enough to allow one of the soldiers in at a time. The city was illuminated by still barely functioning street lights and some smaller ones hanging form the buildings. Trash and debris was scattered everywhere, from broken bottles to pieces of paper, to random datapads, all broken or discarded in the alleyways or the much wider main street that ran thought the area. All the lights from the adobe houses were out, an effect of the shield generator no doubt, and numerous scorch marks were on various walls, with dried blood pooled on the ground below them. There was the faintest sound of artillery shells impacting something, and the group looked around, only to find to their left the shield surrounding the city in a blue bubble of sorts taking a beating from the Republic and Coalition artillery rounds, which would impact with the shield, and explode outward, sending rippling waves through the adjacent area of the blue half bubble before they dissipated.

They continued scanning the area, and noticed the shield generator standing high above all the other short structures, two giant antennae arrays similar in appearance to ancient satellite dishes still sometimes seen on Earth protruding from the central metal obelisk and projecting the shield in a spiral pattern, the blue field dancing around itself before coming to a head and spreading out, forming the bubble.

Looking back at his HUD, Boss soon found that the generator was a good half a kilometer away, and no doubt well guarded from the Separatists. Turning his head, he nodded to the rest of his squad, before begging to jog through the alleyway, making sure to check every decrepit corner for potential hostiles as the rest of Killjoy set out doing the same thing.

They moved for thirty or so meters before coming upon a corner in the thin alleyway, and Boss held up his left hand, indicating for the squad to stop, as he hugged the wall near the corner like his life depended on it. Tilting his head slightly and moving the gun to get a better look at the side, Boss made sure the weapon was fully loaded before peeking over the corner lightly. He saw a group of seven droids, and two Morgukai milling about in the wider alley. The droids appeared to be talking with the Morgukai 'commanders' and failed to noticed the small movement from twenty meters away.

Boss quickly moved back behind cover, then looked back at his squad. He held up his left hand again, sticking his pinky, middle, and index finger out while holding the ring with his thumb to indicate there were seven enemies ahead, He then pointed at the two men behind him, Fixer and Ben, and motioned for them to come with his as the rest were given the silent order to watch their backs.

Boss quietly checked to see if he had any grenades left, and noticed one thermal still unused. Deciding he may need to use it later, he placed it back, then put his left hand up again, while facing away from the two behind him and towards the alleyway, holding up his thumb, index, and middle finger, before he began counting down. Once the countdown was complete, he charged forward, and turned the corner, before laying down fire on the droids, making sure to hit the Morgukai.

The Separatists were completely unprepared for this, and when Fixer's and Ben's fire was added to the din of battle, the little resistance they put up was quickly squashed, with no damage or injuries on the part of the supersoldiers of Killjoy.

Looking back over the alleyway, he motioned for the rest of the squad to form up on him, and they did so while maintaining their formation, two at a time through the alleyway, Ben and Boss taking the lead. Their trek through the wider alley was short, though, as they soon came upon the main street leading to the shield generator, now only a scant fifty meters away.

Yet again, Ben hugged against the adobe structure, probably a small business before the battle, and leaned out of cover cautiously to see where the enemy was. The shield generator was in the center of a courtyard, with numerous chest high walls made of what appeared to be tan and white marble surrounding it in several giant rings, with the ground ascending a level with every new ring, making what appeared to be a handful of steps up to the tall shield array. The courtyard was overall a squad shape, with four dirt roads forming the perimeter and trees lining it. They might have been vibrant before, but now the once imposing organisms were clearly dead or simply cut, burn marks marring their once proud visage. On each corner where two streets met, an AAT stood, its massive turret swiveling from side to side, scanning the area for any new threats. Four squads of droids, ten metal monstrosities and two Morgukai each patrolled the area in-between the tanks, and looked more ready for any engagement than the previous squad they encountered.

Ben turned and walked back several meters, indicating for the squad to form a circle around him. They did the best they could, and once he had their undivided attention, he began.

"Alright, here's the situation." he began, "We have four AAT's, supported with at least forty-eight hostiles, all ready to kill anything that moves. We're separated from them be at least forty meters of open street, where the tanks or droids could tut us to pieces, and by the time we reach the generator and plant the explosives, I have no doubt reinforcements will be well on their way."

Sev chose the brief moment in which Boss did not speak to say, "Only forty-eight? Sounds like a walk in the park."

Ruse then added, "Yes, the real party doesn't begin until we have at least several hundred enemies on top of us."

"It's not the infantry I'm worried about, it's the tanks." Boss replied.

"I think I got that taken care of." Greg said form the back, which gained everyone's attention, as he placed his Assault Rifle on the magnetic clamp on his back and pulled out a massive black gun, more imposing than any anti-tank weapon that Boss has had the good pleasure of seeing in this war.

As Boss was wondering why he failed to notice this weapon of war that was at his apparent disposal, Greg chose to continue, if for no other reason than to tell the Delta' about his new toy, "This is the M7 E /GNR, or more affectionately the Spartan Laser. Firing a laser so powerful there are only a handful of materials in the galaxy known to stop it, it would take some real divine intervention to save your ass from this beauty."

Scorch let out a clearly audible huff before replying, "A little overconfident in your plaything, Spartan?"

Under his helmet, Greg cocked up an eyebrow, before turning to Boss, and saying, "May I demonstrate on an enemy, sir? I promise all the tanks will be nothing more but smoldering piles of scrap metal within thirty seconds, flat."

Boss turned to Ben, standing nearby, and asked, "Can he pull that off?"

Ben merely nodded, and Boss let out a short sigh before motioning with his free hand to Greg to 'test' his weapon of choice. Greg walked past the squad leader confidently, before crouching just outside of cover, the Spartans Laser covering most of his upper body from any observer.

Greg looked through the sights, and lined up the two AAT's on the left side of the courtyard from their position, the crosshair forming a rad outline to indicate an enemy had been aimed at. Once the shot was properly aligned, he held down the trigger for several seconds. A beam of blue light emanating from the end of the 'gun' could be seen marking the forefront of the tan colored monstrosity. A nearby droid broke off from its patrol to investigate, and stood in front of the blue dot, allowing Greg to take out hostile infantry as well.

Just a second later, for an instant, a blue bolt of light, blinding in its intensity, streaked through the street from the alleyway towards the Separatists, moving at the speed of light. It instantly vaporized the top half of the B1 standing before the blue dot previously, bore through the relatively thin armor of the AAT like it was made of paper, and bore through the second AAT with similar ease, only stopping once it hit an adobe structure some hundred meters away, exploding violently and sending the structure crumbling down, dust and debris spreading through the street like a grey cloud of destruction.

The two AAT's exploded violently, massive flames engulfing the nearby droid sentries, who had gathered to see what had caused on of their comrades to walk off. Blackened, charred remains of tanks, no longer hovering slightly off the ground, but instead resting atop it like it was mounted there, were all that remained of the AAT's.

With ease, as the droids began to take notice of where the blue bolt of death came from, Greg lined up his sights with the closest AAT that had been spared only by its placement, and held down the trigger, waiting for the arrow on the side of the sight to reach the bottom. The blue dot formed again, and rested on the slowly moving turret, but the tank seemed to not take notice, as it didn't move a centimeter. Within second's time, another blue bolt of death streaked out of the cannon, impacting the tank before it could even begin to formulate a response to the blinding light now engulfing it. Just like its brothers, it exploded violently, taking two nearby droids with it, both of whom had taken up position behind of the marble rings to fire on them.

Greg quickly identified the fourth and final tank, as it began moving away from its position to get a better angle to shoot at the new hostiles. Training his sight on the moving target with expert ease, Greg targeted the bulbous center of mass for the imposing vehicle. Yet again, the tank seemed not to take notice, and failed to take evasive action. By now, the area around him was filled with the smell of ozone as plasma hit the nearby structure he was using for cover, sending sparks and chips of the adobe around after impact, covering the Spartans and nearby area in the debris. The blue bolt of light came out again, and this time, the momentum of the tank sent is skidding across the ground, hitting a structure and sending the building collapsing on top of the exploding vehicle. A massive plume of grey dust filled the air as the remains of the building finally settled atop their new setting. Black smoke, from the four deceased tanks climbed high into the air, marking their area for all defenders of the city to see, as the fires from the charred remains of the tanks continued to burn, engulfing several dead trees in flames as well.

Greg turned back, and holstered the Spartan Laser and reproducing his Assault Rifle, and then turned back out of cover to fire on the approaching hostiles, aiming for the Morgukai warriors first.

Greg heard through his com unit, from Scorch, "I need to get me one of those."

Before long, the entire squad was poking in and out of nearby cover, falling almost all the enemies that opposed them with expert precision. By the time the firefight was over some two or three minutes later, all that remained of the defenders were charred remains of their deceased corpses or broken, mangles bodies, pot marked with bullet holes or burn marks, and dismembered in many ways across the streets.

Killjoy quickly sprinted up the terraces of the courtyard and settled in front of the shield generator, which upon closer inspection dwarfed them all, easily reaching sixty meters into the air. Greg and Scorch went to work, applying their various explosive charges to the base of the structure. As they were almost done, two additional tanks, supported with a myriad of droids and Morgukai began moving towards their position form he left north facing road.

The super-soldiers acted quickly firing into the mass of infantry, as the group of Separatists continued marching towards them, almost at a leisurely pace. The two tanks began firing, their fire relatively inaccurate, landing many meters away, sending giant plumes of dirt and debris into the air in a massive explosion that rocked the defenders vigorously. Both continued to fire while moving at a snail's pace, not bothering to line up their shots, their mechanical brains thinking they had plenty of time.

Boss looked down the scope of his DC-17m and fired a continuous burst of plasma at a group of two droidekas that were rolling towards them from the east road, destroying both before either could deploy, and sending small black plumes of smoke into the air form their quick destruction. He then redirected his efforts back on the main force, which was now a scant thirty meters away. He aimed and fired within milliseconds of each action, and opened up on two B1's that were standing close to each other. His shots were true, and he decapitated one while falling another with several successive shots to the abdomen. Turning his attention to a B2 that had pushed aside another droid, he let loose with the remainder of his cartridge, blowing open the chest protector and head guard protecting the inner working of the war machine. Without conscious though, he replaced the useless cartridge and began firing on the exposed wiring, tearing apart the innards of the blue monolith. Halfway through his new cartridge, the droid began shaking violently before falling, face first, to the ground, kicking up a small amount of dust around it and sending blue arcs of electricity into the ground surrounding it for a brief period of time.

Seeing that for very droid they destroyed, another took its place, Boss yelled into his com until while still firing on enemies, "How much longer until you're both done back there?"

"Just one more charge, sir." Scorch replied, his monotone voice evidence enough of how many times he and his squad were caught in similar situations.

Soon enough, the last charge was set, and both Scorch and Greg yelled into the squad com channel, "All charges placed! Fall back!"

The super-soldiers stood, and while still firing, began jogging back, away from the approaching enemies and towards a block of adobe buildings across the street. Once out of sight, and while descending one of the terraces, the soldiers began sprinting towards their new objective. Ben kicked down the feeble door that stood in their way, and they fled in with a quickness and expertise that took years of constant training and experience to master.

Once everyone was safely hugging a wall for support, Greg and Scorch said at the same time, "Fire!" before detonating their charges simultaneously.

The ensuing explosion was truly massive, Boss had risked a view out of the nearby window, and saw the once imposing, monolithic structure engulfed in a fiery, destructive, all encompassing explosion that rocked the earth itself. The shockwave hit them, sending all the soldiers flying back and onto the ground, disorienting all of them.

When Boss regained his composure, and when looked out the window again, all he saw was a black plume of smoke that dwarfed those four from the tanks seen before, rising high into the air. The blue bubble that had encompassed the city previously was now gone, and artillery rounds that were fired too late began hitting the city itself, sending more massive explosions into the torrential downpour form before had diminished to a gentle drizzle hat slowly began smothering the raging infernos created from the expansive explosion of the shield generator. The two moons of Saleucami also began shining more brightly through the clouds, allowing an eerie, silvery glow to encompass the city and surrounding area.

Boss paid none of this any heed, though, as he scanned the area for the hostiles form before. After a minute, he concluded that they were all engulfed in the explosion, and stood to face the squad of super-soldiers, all now ready to move out at his command.

Just then, a voice broke through their com unit, and the cultured, voice of a clone spoke to them saying, "Excellent job, Killjoy's. With that generator down, we can finally take the city and end this Force-forsaken siege. Your next objective is to link up with our forces moving in from the north, east, and west of the city and aid them in whatever way they need. The nearest allied force is the 5th Shock Troop Battalion, who's closest objective is two clicks west of your current position. Arrive there, hold down the objective, and aid them in whatever way they need once they arrive. Understood?"

"Yes sir." the super-soldiers of Killjoy chorused before the connection was severed.

Boss then said to them, "Well you heard him, Killjoy's. Let's move out!"

**(Note: For the next couple of days, or weeks, I'm going to go back through my story and revise grammatical errors and some other continuity errors that you all have pointed out. I have neglected to think of some very basic Newtonian Laws of physics when devising the space battles in particular, and I'll need to rectify that mistake. The outcomes will be the same, but I feel a complete rewrite of almost all of them, with the adjusted numbers (Ex. My MAC speed is way off), is necessary. You can avoid them, considering the same result will play out, and it shouldn't affect the story to any significant degree, but feel free to re-read them and point out any other errors I have made. I can't fix it if it isn't identified. As for some questions about the size difference in the supercarriers, and the fact that some say they seem 'underpowered' this is because the Covenant supercarriers, the ones over 27+ km in length, were designed for one purpose, extermination. These ones are designed to quell rebellions that would be lucky to get their hands on frigates, much less anything that could truly oppose them. Besides, it's not very cost effective to have a 27+ km supercarrier moving around enforcing the peace when one four times smaller can get the job done just as easily, and with a much smaller price. Nevertheless, with the war now in full swing, I'll make a note of it to bring back some plans to have supercarriers that are much bigger, but they won't be introduced until later, considering how long it must take to build one, even with the help of shield worlds and Forerunner 'factories'. That should be all. Thank you, and goodnight.)**


	13. Chapter 12: Pavlov's House, Part I

**Finally. This would have been written sooner if my computer didn't fail me and delete my chapter here before I could upload it without any saves, forcing me to re-write it. Regardless, I advise for those of you that seem to enjoy this story to check out the previous chapters. they have been updated for most things, and then some (i.e. Force bond between Anakin/**Padmé**, fleet battle, discovery of relationship, etc.) It won't change the story structure all that much, but I think most of the chapters have been improved upon. Besides, it's been a while since I've updated, so you might as well catch up. **

Chapter 12: Pavlov's House, Part I

11 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 02:16:31/19:4 BBY

Polis Massa Base, Polis Massa, Massa System, Subterrel Sector

"You have done well Mister Bane." the dark voice behind the black cowl said to the blue skinned alien, as the two figures stood opposite each other of the long hallway, a massive window revealing the black, starry expanse of space on one side of the hallway, a drab, grey colored paint scheme on the other.

"I aim to please with all my customers, Sidious." came the scratchy, mechanical reply from the alien from underneath the worn, dulled brown hat.

"Evidently so." Sidious replied, before turning to face the door behind him, it opening to reveal a long, well lit hallway, and continued, "The credits have been wired to your account, Bane, but I must ask one more thing of you."

"And what would that be, _my lord_" Bane responded, putting much malicious emphasis on the end of the sentence.

Under his cowl, Sidious smiled a sickening smile, before he retorted, "I'm missing a very important Sith artifact, a scepter to be exact, and need someone to track it down. The pay will be...satisfactory."

"There are a lot of scepters in this galaxy, Sidious. Can you narrow the search down a bit?" Bane said, noticing Sidious approach the door opposite him slowly, almost ready to cross the threshold.

"It's the Scepter of Ragnos, so you will need to look in very certain locations to gather any information. It was last seen with a merchant dealing in ancient weapons on Commenor, but he and his family are dead, and his house and business are burnt to the ground."

"Seems like I'm getting into a lot of work for this useless old weapon. How much is the pay?"

"This scepter is very important to me, and thus the galaxy. Considering this, I will pay you half a million credits after you locate its location and another two million after you give it to me."

Bane went wide-eyed and was speechless from this announcement. He'd have to shoot himself if he passed up this offer.

"By the end of the year, you'll have your scepter, Sidious." Bane replied after a prolonged silence, before turning without preamble and leaving through a door, which opened to reveal an empty hanger bay that was somewhat dimly lit, the drab grey walls reflecting little light.

Sidious, too, took his leave, walking down the hallway as a slow pace, before a door automatically opened before him on the right wall, revealing a room that was brightly lit in sterile, white lights and a bacta tank with one occupant floating in the center of the bluish liquid.

XXX

CSS _Redemption_, Orbit of Saleucami, Saleucami System, Sulorine Sector

As the battle for the planetary capitol was being waged below, the hanger bay of the supercarrier was a maelstrom of activity, with a myriad of people going to and fro trying to accomplish their own tasks. Jake Barir looked over the edge of his Liberator to see two Unggoy working with a pipe that carried fuel to his fighter/bomber. They marched as quickly as their little feet could carry them towards the Liberator, then, with the help of an automated scissor-type powered platform, they were raised to be level with the fuel intake valve, and deposited the pipe into the valve, handling a lever on the side that released vital fuel into the craft.

After several minutes of refueling, the Unggoy retreated from the fighter/bomber, and joined the rest of the maintenance crews as they vacated the hanger bay. Soon enough, the heavy doors across the massive hanger bay closed and pressurized, allowing the fighters to launch at their pleasure.

Jake looked down at his fighter controls, and, after he placed the helmet on his head, he began pressing several buttons on the display before him. He checked over the system, making sure all the functions were working properly, from changing the angle of the flaps on the fighter/bomber's wings to checking to make sure the cockpit was pressurized, to checking the fuel status, and much more.

With all his systems functioning properly, Jake said into the com unit that hung form the helmet he wore down to his lips, "Tower, this is Firefly Lead, do I have permission to take off, over?"

"Firefly Lead, this is the Tower, you are a go. Good hunting, out."

With that, Jake pressed one more button, lifting his Liberator into the air several meters, before he pushed down on the yoke between his legs, his fighter responding by launching forward at speeds that would crush any unprotected individual. An instant later, Jake left the hanger bay shields and entered the vacuum of space, the zero gravity negated by the artificial gravity the Liberator had or the safety harnesses Jake wore across his chest.

"Firefly, this is Firefly Lead, form up on me." Jake ordered into the com unit as he circled the supercarrier with a plethora of other craft, some Seraphs, some other Liberators, and a handful of Phoenix's.

"Copy That Lead. We're on our way." came the reply form Firefly-2.

Mere moments later, the other four Liberators joined their commander in a v-formation, Jake at the lead.

Jake then said into the com unit as he pushed his fighter down towards the planet, the others in his squad following right behind, "Alright Firefly, out job is simple. Attain areal superiority so our gunships and bombers can blow these bucket heads back to hell. Easy enough?"

"Yes sir." they all replied.

Just after their confirmation, the atmosphere began beating against the hull of the Liberator, flames licking against the strike craft, engulfing them in its brilliant orange glow. The turbulence spiked up, and Jake was pushed as much as his harnesses would allow. Within moments, though, Jake and the rest of Firefly cleared their way through the hardest part and found themselves in a darkened environment, the only light coming form the stars and local satellites above. This cast an eerie moonlight glow upon the desert terrain.

Jake looked up from the ground that was speeding away to the massive city on the horizon, illuminated by the fires and omnipresent explosions taking place on this new, proverbial hell on "earth". Taking note that the sky was lacking any cloud cover to speak of, Jake piloted his craft up an additional three hundred meters, his squadron right behind him, and leveled out again.

After traveling for several minutes, Firefly was over the city's outskirts, where wide roads and sparsely built buildings occupied the land. Over two kilometers away, the distinct shapes of five tri-fighters in line-formation angled downward and fired a series of red bolts in quick succession, massive explosions ripping apart the buildings and streets the deadly droids were aiming for.

Jake locked onto the first droid in the front of the formation, a red box encompassing the fighter, and four orange boxes surrounded the other four droid fighters, all reading off numbers at the bottom indicating the distance between them. The droid fighters, after their strafing run, angled upward, and twisted clockwise and around, intending to hit the same targets again.

"Foxtrot! Foxtrot! Missile one away!" yelled Jake into the com unit as he pressed down on the proper button on the yoke of his fighter.

An instant later, as the rest in his squadron was saying the same thing, a missile from under Jake's left wing fell slightly and fired its thrusters, a brilliant fire from the bottom of the missile propelling it forward, leaving a trail of white smoke in its wake. The rest of the four missiles seemed to fly in perfect v-formation for a time before lining up properly to hit their target, constantly spinning almost faster than the human eye could perceive and adjusting their course to hit their intended target.

Just as the droids lined up, ready to hit what Jake could now see was a platoon's worth of Marines, the missiles impacted with their targets, breaking through the thin glass separating the inner piloting mechanisms from the outside, and exploding, a fireball encompassing where the fighter used to be. Five explosions lit up the sky where the fighters were, the fireballs expelling burning debris down to the ground and buildings and smoke clinging to the area where the droids were, which the pilots of Firefly flew right through.

Jake then angled his Liberator up and to the right while pressing down on the button that would allow his radar to pick up on a random fighter, taking into account proximity to friendly units or bombers, and displaying on his HUD its location and distance. Within a second's time, the HUD indicated a line of bombers en route half a kilometer on their eight o'clock, and above them. Jake pulled up on his Liberator and spun clockwise, leveling out some two hundred or so meters above where he was, his squadron right behind him in the maneuver.

Trade Federation droid Bombers were a series of craft that looked similar to the overall design to the Droid Control ships typically found in orbit. They had a general U shape, with a red light running along the thin side of the vessel, and the two ends at its front were pointed inward. At the back on the sides were two roundish extensions that harbored two laser canons each for anti-fighter capabilities, and the head, much like that of a Vulture droid, was positioned above the frame in the center of the back of the robot, two elongated red lights running from the top of the head to the bottom of the front. At the bottom was the bomb bay door that housed whatever the CIS needed in terms of munitions.

The formation of droid bombers flew in a line-formation, moving quickly through the sky to their intended targets. Jake's HUD, upon indication from Jake, targeted the center bomber of the formation, another series of orange boxed around the other four bombers.

"Foxtrot! Foxtrot! Missile three away!" yelled Jake into the com unit as he again pressed town on the proper button and released the missile, which was quickly joined by its brothers en route to its objective.

Seconds later, as the droids detected what was about to happen and began spinning in a futile attempt to get away. The missiles impacted in the central portion of the bombers, the wings continuing on their course as gravity took its toll and pulled them down to the inferno below. The resulting explosion form the missile impacts obliterated the droids and sent burning debris raining down.

With the bombers eliminated, Jake pulled up and to the right, his HUD having found another fighter a quarter of a kilometer away and well on its way to intercept them. In his Liberator, Jake put on a roguish smile as he prepared to blow this unfortunate droid into nothingness.

XXX

Sector 39-L, Saleucami, Saleucami System, Sulorine Sector

"Command, this is Thunder Two Actual, message, over." SSGT Donnelly said into the com unit, as his squadron of five Scorpion tanks rounded a corner of a dirt road, surrounded on both sides by sparse foliage, and stopped, a series of massive explosions filling the air before them.

"Thunder Two Actual, this is Command, what is it, over?"

"Command, aren't we supposed to be the only armored squadron advancing down this road, over?" Donnelly continued, the explosions dying down, leaving behind plumes of dark smoke visible only through the flares and constant explosions and plasma projectiles from the battle in the city down the road behind the smoke.

After a brief silence, the voice on the other end of the com unit returned, saying, "Thunder Two Actual, this is true. You're the only armored unit in the area. What's going on, over?"

"We have massive explosions filling the sky half a click ahead of us, sir. How should we proceed, over?"

"Proceed with caution Thunder Two. It could be the local resistance taking the opportunity to get some payback. Provide assistance if that is the case, and good hunting, over."

"Wilco Command, out." Donnelly finished before switching to the squadron's frequency and saying to his squadron mates, "Thunder Two, we may be dealing with local resistance fighters rising up in open revolt. Proceed with caution, and verify that your targets are Separatist."

"Roger that sir." the squadron said one at a time, before the squadron, with Donnelly's Scorpion at the lead of the column, proceeded onward.

After several quiet moments of silence, filled only with the constant sound of treads upon earth and engines roaring, with periodic noises from swiveling turrets searching for hostiles to eliminate, they were close to their objective. A cloud of dust billowed up behind them as they drove to their objective, the large plumes of smoke, which had largely dissipated. After banking to the right then immediate left, the squadron found a fork in the road, with the left side leading towards the black smoke and the right side leading to an unknown destination. Without hesitating, Donnelly lead the Scorpions down the left side at maximum speed, and took another left turn when they came upon another turn in the road.

As Donnelly was looking through the NVD of his sights, he noticed out of the corner of his eye a red dot on the fifty meter range radar built into the tank. Stopping in his tracks, the rest of the squadron following suit, he turned the turret and his sights in the direction of the radar signature of the potential hostile.

The rest of the squadron turned their turrets every which way as well, looking for any potential enemies, but finding none. Then, out of nowhere, a rocket sailed between the lead two tanks, and exploded on the other side of the road, dirt and debris sent high into the air before quickly falling back down in a tell-tale pitter-patter. the exhaust form the rocket drew Donnelly's attention , and without hesitation, he aimed with the tank's sights and fired into the general direction of the hostile infantry with a high explosive round.

An instant later, the supersonic round impacted with the ground, creating an even larger explosion than before, engulfing several square meters of foliage in a bright explosion that died out as quickly as it was formed. Burnt dirt sailed into the air only to fall all round the area, and vegetation too close to the explosion caught on fire, quickly spreading through the dried plant material. As soon as the dirt began falling down, a sea of red plasma filled the air, directed at the tanks, who's shields flared into brilliant golden existence of hexangular shapes before falling back into invisibility shortly thereafter.

Donnelly turned his turret further to the right, aiming for what appeared to be an MG nest, and fired another high explosive round into the area where the long series of red plasma bolts originated from, creating another large explosion that silenced the MG nest for good. Swiveling his turret to the left, he focus his attention on another MG nest, and fired another high explosive round, with similar results. Before he could focus on a position on the believed hostile line, a rocket impacted with the shields, making them flare into brilliant existence before falling back down, the alarms in his compartment averting his gaze to the displays before him, telling him his shields had 45% strength left and that the round impacted on the left side of the hull, on the other side of the road.

Donnelly turned the turret as quickly as it would move to face the general direction the round was fired from, and aimed to the origin of the exhaust, which was still lingering in the air. Then, after taking aim, he pulled the trigger on the steering device before him, firing the round. Moving as speeds that separated the air like a sniper round, the high explosive round left the barrel and an instant later impacted with the ground, shaking the earth and sending up a massive plume of dirt and debris into the air with the massive fireball that had to have consumed more than a few droids.

With the help of the various tanks and their assorted crews, the small droid outpost they came across was quickly dealt with. Pushing forward, Donnelly lead the squadron down the final stretch of the road, and took a sharp right turn before stopping. The plume of smoke, previously imposing in the night sky was little more but residual smoke now, with little evidence to suggest it even existed. Around it, though, a wide assortment of sentients, wielding various arms and armaments from small, personal blaster pistols to the more troublesome blaster rifles, to some rocket launchers, and a few weapons Donnelly couldn't even identify, and all wearing what could best be described as war-paint. They all were in defensive positions, their weapons raised in Donnelly's direction, and they all seemed, form his perspective, nervous.

Donnelly pushed his tank forward enough to allow his entire squadron to be within sight of the combatants, before he opened his hatch and stood atop the comfortable seat he had been sitting in for some time to speak to them.

Raising his hand above his head in a sign of non-aggression, Donnelly announced in his most commanding tone that all the sentients could hear, "It's alright! We're Coalition soldiers, here to liberate the planet! We're on your side!"

The sentients, while giving his looks of suspicion, lowered their weapons slowly, seemingly waiting for his next order to destroy them. When the order never came, one of the sentients, a dark skinned human male stepped forward from their impromptu line and began walking towards Donnelly's Scorpion. The man had a torn, dull colored tunic, dusty boots, short, military style hair, and a long, black blaster gripped with both his hands across his chest.

"We don't need your help freeing our people, Outsiders!" he said with malice, with what Donnelly could best describe as a Middle-Eastern accent.

"Look," Donnelly said in a quieter tone to this one man alone, "we're going to throw the CIS out of here then we'll all be out of your hair."

"And then what soldier? You leave us to pick up the shattered remains of this planet because of your _political_ squabbles? Just let us handle this, like we always should have!"

"If you're interested in freeing your planet quickly, you'll help us in liberating this city. Now will you help us help you or not?" Donnelly said his aggravation with this sentient quite evident.

"Fine! Have it your way, _soldier_." the man replied after a short, contemplative pause with a raised chin, "The Confederate line is weakest if you follow this road for half a click, then take a right onto the narrow dirt road. They don't have any AT emplacements there."

"Thank you." Donnelly said neutrally.

"Before you leave," the man said as Donnelly turned to re-enter the control compartment, holding up a piece of paper he pulled out of a pocked on his belt, "This is a map of all the places we believe the CIS buried the bodies."

"The bodies?" Donnelly asked as he accepted the rolled up and crumpled piece of paper, flattening it as best he could to see a rudimentary map of the city and several locations inside that were marked with an "X".

"When we launched out first revolt before you came, the CIS suppressed it and killed all those they believe played a role in it, regardless of age or gender. The X's indicate where we believe they buried their bodies."

"My god." Donnelly said under his breath as he counted the X's to find they amounted to a dozen locations. When Donnelly looked up from the paper, he noticed the man he was conversing with had turned as was close to the edge of the road, his subordinates already over one hundred meters away.

"Hey! Where are you going?" he yelled at them, which caused the man to turn and face him, a neutral expression on his face.

"The Confederates have more than one outpost in the area. We're going to find the others." the man replied before turning away again and walking into the darkness with his comrades.

Donnelly looked in their direction for a few moments before turning back to enter his tank's control compartment. Once he was back in his seat, he closed the hatch and adjusted himself back into his seat. Once he was ready, he pressed his foot down on the forward petal and drove away towards the direction he was told to follow at top speed, the rest of his squadron close behind.

As he was driving away, he placed his hand to his ear and said into the com unit, "Command, this is Thunder Two Actual, message over."

"Thunder Two Actual, this is Command, what do you got, over?"

"Command, we just came across the local resistance cell, and while they aren't friendly, they did give us an easy route into the city, and some other interesting stuff. Do you have us on GPS, over?"

"Copy that, we got you now Thunder Two, lead the way. Now what interesting stuff are you talking about, over?"

"It seems before we came, the CIS suppressed a rebellion, and went Hue City on the inhabitants. We have twelve possible locations where the bodies may be, over."

"Mother of God." the man on the other end said, before a brief pause elapsed, which ended when the man on the other end of the line said, "We'll have to deal with that later. At the moment, capturing the city is the main objective. Infantry will find the locations soon enough anyway. Good hunting Thunder Two, out."

XXX

500 Meters Above Outskirts of Al Mutiah, Saleucami, Saleucami system, Sulorine Sector

"Anakin! Anakin! Are you even paying attention?" Obi-Wan yelled over the din of rushing air as the LAAT/i, with one Pelican and one Phantom flanking it, neared its objective and began to slow down.

Anakin shook his head as he averted his gaze away from the open section of the LAAT/i to his right, which bore the sight of a tremendous battle raging with massive explosions filling the streets and buildings, at his former master, who was standing opposite him near the cockpit of the transport, his padawan looking nervously at him to his left. Before he could respond, a flak round impacted nearby, on the left side of the transport, shaking them violently, and forcing Anakin to focus fully on keeping his feet on the ground.

Once the transport has stabilized, Anakin said with a neutral countenance, "Of course, Master. I just forgot what we were talking about."

"I'm sure." Obi-Wan yelled back, before he continued, "Ahsoka will lead the two squads of Spec Ops and ODST's while we create a distraction underground. Understood?"

"Sounds easy enough." Anakin replied as the transport descended rapidly vertically, the ground coming up quickly to the sides, and stray plasma bolts coming closer to hitting them, which prompted the three Jedi to ignited their blades.

"You said the same thing before Cato Neimoidia." Obi-Wan replied.

"And Naboo." Ahsoka piped in.

"Okay," Anakin said with a grin, as the transport touched down, and blaster bolts began falling on the ship, and them, in greater volume, "I have a bad tendency of saving everyone when things turn south. Understood."

Both the other Jedi shook their heads in amusement before the two jumped out with Anakin, their lightsabers dancing through the air to intercept every plasma round sent their way from the defensive positions of the Separatists. The red bolts were being sent form a series of three connecting buildings on the far side of the plaza they landed in, every darkened window and doorway, and even the roofs, being occupied by at least one droid.

Seeing the predicament the three Jedi were in, the three transports fired their various armaments into the three buildings, obliterating them within massive explosions within seconds of the first round being fired. The massive fireballs, yellow, blue, and purple, sent debris into the air and down upon the plaza, causing more than a few stray pieces of small fragments toward the Jedi, who either skillfully sidestepped them or outright allowed them to fall harmlessly on them.

With the immediate threat taken care of, the three Jedi walked the ten meters to where the other transport vessels landed, or in the case of the Phantom, hovered, and waited at the elite soldiers walked, or floated, out of their respective ship.

Once the group of ten surrounded the three Jedi, Ahsoka stepped forward, and said to them, "Alright, for the purpose of this mission, you'll all be designated at Caretaker Team, with me being Caretaker Actual. Understood?"

After everyone in the two squads, both human with fully black suits of armor and polarized helmets and Sangheili with imposing muscles showing in between the few areas where bright metallic armor didn't cover them, she began jogging away towards a back alley to their right while raising her hand above her head, then lowering it quickly in a classic charge command.

Anakin and Obi-Wan took this as their signal, and quickly made their way to the other end of the plaza, and down the main street nearby. Both of them standing two meters apart in the middle of the street, they made their way down it, surprised by the lack of activity in a major boulevard. Soon enough, though, they turned a corner to the right, and encountered a platoon of droids of various classifications, with a single AAT at the center of their diamond formation.

Both the Jedi raised their lightsabers while backing up to return behind the corner they just traversed, and blocked several shots from the unsuspecting droids back at their senders. Just as Anakin braced his back against the wall, closest to the edge, with Obi-Wan to his left, the AAT fired a single shot, the round exploding against a building on the other side of the street from them. As the explosion engulfed the front of the small structure, it collapsed, sending a cloud of dust and small debris across the road and covering it in the dark-grey material.

With their backs pressed against the wall, their lightsabers held in one hand each, Anakin turned back to face Obi-Wan, and gave him a quick nod before turning back and running out into the middle of the street, Obi-Wan right behind. The blaster bolts from the droids continued to fall all around them, but the two experienced Jedi skillfully blocked each shot, falling more than a few droids in their wake.

The turret of the AAT turned to face Anakin directly, and just as the familiar sensation of great danger washed over him, he jumped high into the air, avoiding the large ruby bolt of high explosive plasma and the resulting explosion. Landing several meters ahead of where he was before, he quickly ran ahead as quickly as the Force and his legs would allow, swinging his lightsaber widely to block every shot, before calling the Force to aid him as he jumped some ten meters away from the AAT.

Anakin landed on the bulbous section of the tan colored tank, the droid's fire now focused on another target, and Anakin took the opportunity to quickly climb up to the hatch at the top of the turret, which was swiveling around as quickly as it could in an attempt to knock him off, which he simply ducked under once he was close enough to climb atop. Once his feet were firmly on the hatch, Anakin turned around and cut through the turret of the tank, then pulled out a thermal detonator he was carrying with him. He used the Force to open the hatch, then dropped the grenade before quickly jumping off to the back of the tank and running a safe distance away.

Then seconds later, as Anakin turned to face the AAT one last time, the grenade exploded, erupting in a violent fireball that engulfed the remaining droids, who were still occupied by another assailant. The turret flew off from the main body, sailing high into the air with a smoke trail right behind it, before landing on a nearby roof, collapsing it and falling several floors until it stopped on the ground floor, as evident from the dust and smoke coming from the various open windows on each floor.

As the dust from the explosion settled, Anakin noticed a single humanoid form parting the cloud before it, before rising through the dirt. Soon the figure left the cloud of dust and Anakin knew it was his own former master, who simply nodded before joining Anakin, stopping to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with his former student.

"Must you always be so reckless?" Obi-Wan asked while still peering through the barley illuminated streets.

"I do it to make your life interesting Master. It's for your own good." Anakin said confidently as they trekked down the road ion their way to a round-about at the end of the boulevard, craters and burning husks of former craft littering the ground.

"Between your training and this war, my life has been interesting enough for a thousand lifetimes." Obi-Wan retorted.

"Are you implying my training was some kind of difficult trial?"

"It was _the most_ difficult trial I've ever faced my forgetful Padawan." Obi-Wan immediately replied with certainty as they entered the round-about and began walking along the side, the road they were looking for to their right.

"I wasn't that bad... and I'm not your Padawan anymore" Anakin said with equal certainty, to which Obi-Wan responded with a huff.

"How many times again did you sneak out in the wee hours of the night with other padawans to play pranks or tell stories without the Master's approval?" Obi-Wan asked as if he already knew the answer.

Anakin looked into the sky and looked like he was internally counting, before looking back at Obi-Wan in front of the road they were to go through, bolts of red and blue plasma as well as muzzle flashed illuminating the street not several meters away, and said, "I lost count."

Immediately after his response, they both ignited their lightsabers, and held them in the ready positions.

Before either of them threw themselves into the fray, Obi-Wan said, "I thought as much."

* * *

><p>11 April 2587 (CSS Military Calendar) 05:34:1219:4 BBY

Falhem Square, Al Mutiah, Saleucami, Saleucami System, Sulorine Sector

"Frag Out!" yelled the black armored soldier in a very masculine, North American accent as it rose above the rubble of a fallen building it was using for cover and threw a grenade at the building opposite him and his squad some ten meters away.

The grenade sailed through the window on the second story where a maelstrom of ruby-red plasma bolts flew out at the squad of five black armored ODST's, all of whom were either behind the rubble mound they discovered when ambushed or in the ruins of a building said rubble came from. As soon as the grenade left his hand, the ODST dropped behind the cover, as a series of plasma bolts impacted the rubble mound where he was, the sound of dirt and debris being sent into the air form the impact of the superheated matter, landing all around the impact crater.

Then, suddenly, the ODST hear the tell-tale explosion of a fragmentation grenade, and peered over the mound to see smoke rising from the balcony that was seconds ago his greatest threat. Keeping his BR level at the balcony to make sure the threat was taken care of, he took several cautious steps out from behind the cover, his eyes never leaving the smoking opening in the building's side. Slowly, he rose up, and briefly scanned the area for his fellow squad-mates. Finding one five or so meters to his left, he quickly turned in his direction and sprinted the short distance, before falling back behind the mound next to his comrade.

They rose again together, and, while the original ODST kept his crosshairs on the balcony , his eyes open to any new threat from the building, the other turned and ran for the ruins, which were simply a series of adobe walls that were periodically broken at the top and sides form the battle that came before, rubble all across the adobe and wooden floor.

The voice of the other ODST called out, "All clear!" before turning back to scan the area to make sure his assessment was correct.

Another voice, the commander, replied, "Roger that." before rising from behind a waist high broken wall that had several scorch marks before it. His other two squad-mates revealing themselves from behind another similarly conditioned wall several meters to the commander's back and behind a tall expanse of wall near a corner, several more meter to the commander's front.

With everyone out in the open, the original ODST lowered his BR to cross his chest as he walked with the others to surround the commander just outside the ruins of the fallen building.

Once he joined the group, the commander said to him, "Good throw Lionheart. Who'd a thought high school baseball had its uses."

"Agreed, sir, but that was my last frag." Richard replied.

"How many 'nades we got left boys?" Bill asked to the whole group before looking down and giving himself a pat down to assess himself.

"I got all mine." Zach replied, looking up form his suit to look at his squad, who were all still fumbling with their suits compartments.

"Same here." Don chimed in several seconds later.

"I have one plasma left." Fred piped in not a moment later.

"Two plasma left for me." Richard also said.

"And I don't have any. Of course." Bill finished, now looking back and forth to each member of his squad.

"Well sir, that A-DSD wasn't going to blow itself up." Richard said after a short pause.

"Considering the quality of these droids, I wouldn't be surprised if it did." Don replied, earning some nods of agreement and stifled chuckles from his squad mates.

"Agreed, but now we need to focus..." Bill began with a smirk under his polarized helmet, before being cut off by the loud, distinct sound of a round being discharged by an AAT, followed shortly thereafter by a ruby red bolt of plasma sailing past their heads and into the ruins behind them, exploding violently and sending massive amounts of rubble into the air.

"Take cover!" Richard yelled as he and the rest of Misfit 1-3 dove for cover behind the mound of rubble Richard was using before.

Just as the last person, Bill, dove behind the mound of rubble, another shot rang out from in front of their position some ways away, before exploding against the mound an instant later, sending another giant plume of smoke into the air as rubble and wreckage from destroyed buildings was forced from its resting place. As the dust began to settle several moments later, Don peeked out of cover, and, with his Rocket Launcher, fired two consecutive shots where the outline of an AAT stood between two buildings whose roofs were collapsed inward toward each other, creating an arc above the hover-tank. They punched through the dust cloud before them, making a clear pathway for the boys of Misfit to see through, and adjusted themselves slightly to the left as the AAT maneuvered to avoid the rockets.

The first rocket impacted with the left side of the AAT's hull, blowing up away from the tank, but reducing its armor considerably. The next round, impacting in the same place, punched through the armor plating and exploded inside, tearing apart the AAT from the turret and sides, leaving massive chunks of tank sailing into the air before crashing down.

With the AAT out of the way, the squad tentatively stood form behind their cover, weapons still raised, and quickly, with Bill at the lead, began walking at a fast pace forward, their weapons scanning the area with every step. After a few moments, they passed by the burning wreckage of the AAT, pushing through the black and brown smoke and dust to enter into an unoccupied street that had bisected the small avenue they were previously on. They spread out, Richard and Fred on one side of the street with Bill, Don, and Zach on the other, moving as an organized machine en route to their objective: Al Kuhmeni Apartment Complex, a massive apartment building on the corner of two major boulevards that both were vital for any defender in the city.

The road before them bent sharply to the right, before leading into a plaza, where gunfire and plasma discharges could be easily heard over the cacophony of artillery and aircraft battling elsewhere. After advancing fifty meters of the hundred and fifty to the bend, and confident that the street was clear, the squad began sprinting towards the corner of a small adobe structure on the corner. The building they were running for was perforated with bullet holes and scorch marks, with one massive chunk of the building missing where some high explosive round detonated, blowing away the entire corner and leaving the building open to entrance.

After half a minute of sprinting, the squad of ODST's formed a line against the wall next to the opening in the one-story building. Bill, at point, raised his left hand while firmly gripping his Assault Rifle with his right, and raised three fingers, counting down every seconds by lowering one. Once his hand made a fist once more, he returned it to his weapon and charged forward, the rest of the squad not a step behind him.

The second before Richard entered, he heard the sound of gunshots and plasma rounds, both Coalition and Confederate exchanged. Once inside the next second, he spotted a B2 droid in the far doorway several meters away taking aim for him. Placing his crosshairs on top of the droid's head with reflexes he honed from countless hours practicing such a feat, he fired his first three round burst, which impacted with the armor over the head. Pulling on the trigger again, the next burst of fire caused the armor to fall of the droid, leaving the circuitry open to attack. However, the B2 was finally able to take aim, and fired several large bolts of red plasma at him. The first three shots impacted with his shields, leaving him almost unprotected.

Moving purely on instinct, Richard began moving as quickly sideways as he could while still keeping a bead on the droid's head, firing every second and missing more times than he cared to count, while the droid continued to miss him with its deadly projectiles. Finally, Richard, as he hit a wall to his right, fired the last three round burst, all ballistic rounds impacting with the unprotected droid and causing it to convulse. To be safe, Richard took careful aim, and fired one last burst of fire, hitting the droid again, and causing the blue behemoth to fall to the ground.

As the B2 finally ceased its movements, Richard looked round the room to see the remains of half a dozen other droids either in neighboring rooms that had fallen under the assault, or in the room he was presently in. Taking a few steps into a room to his immediate left, Richard found the rest of his squad ascending a staircase on the far side of the room. The staircase hung close to the wall, making a sharp turn where the building had its edge.

Richard quickly cleared the distance between him and his squad, and took up the rear as they continued to advance up the stairs. Once he was halfway up, he head the distinct sound of a Confederate standard issue plasma blaster being fired, which was quickly followed by several bursts form an Assault Rifle. Right behind his squad mates, he entered the room to find three droid bodies littering the area near the two windows on the other end of the room, which overlooked the road below. Richard took this as his opportunity, and made his way to the windows, Fred right behind him, and peered out over the street.

As his head was poked out of the window, a series of plasma bolts impacted the wall near him, charring the adobe and leaving smoke clinging to the walls and both of them shouting expletives. Richard immediately pulled back, and noticed another series of bolts coming from a complex down the street some fifty meters. Bracing himself against the bottom of the window sill Fred doing the same at the other window, Richard waited until the blaster bolts died down in intensity before popping out, taking aim at the distinct, sickly bodies of B1 battle droids, and fired a handful of bursts from his BR, Fred releasing his fire from a Plasma Rifle with equal accuracy. Between the two, the droids in the complex's windows and doorways were destroyed.

Richard and Fred waited several anxious moments before picking themselves up and away from the window, their aim constantly on the complex. They walked back to the rest of the squad, who were situated near the staircase nearby, ready to leave the building. Both the combatants took their places on the rear of the formation, and stormed downstairs, before running out of another hole in the wall of equal size to the one before, and sprinting across the street.

Once everyone was across the street, their backs planted against the wall of the building behind them, Bill lead them down the street towards the sounds of gunfire from the plaza on the other side of the block. For several moments, they advanced with impunity, until Bill stopped them, his back close to the edge of a corner that would lead them to the plaza with the large complex they were to defend.

Bill looked over the edge, revealing only his head, and immediately popped back behind cover as a series of red plasma bolts impacted the ground near him and sailed past the air nearest his head.

Bill turned to look at his squad, and yelled through the polarized helmet above the din of nearby battle, "Ready for the fun Misfit?"

"Yes sir!" they yelled back in chorus.

XXX

Block 1483, Al Mutiah, Saleucami, Saleucami System, Sulorine Sector

As the local star was beginning to shine down upon the planet before it, the group of Spartans and Republic Commandos took a short break behind a chest high wall before an apartment complex on a road. The complex was set back several meters from the road it was on, with two walls, one large with metal rods atop it and a metal gate in the middle, and a small, decorative chest high wall bordering the sidewalk. The chest high wall, though, was potmarked with plasma and ballistic rounds, with several sections entirely missing. The commandos and Spartans were spread out unevenly throughout the wall, but all had their backs firmly set against the wall.

Then, just as the cacophony of battle seemed to finally die down somewhat, the sound of a massive plasma discharge was heard from down the street, followed quickly by an explosion nearby on the front wall of the complex behind the special forces operatives. Ben looked out above the wall to see an advanced dwarf spider droid taking aim at the building, before it fired a series of missiles towards them. The missiles took an erratic course and all impacted with either the building, making several small explosions or hitting the street, forming a myriad of craters in the dirt roadway.

Ben looked to the right to see Scorch and Greg raised above the top of the wall and took aim at the A-DSD. Scorch fired first, his grenade launcher impacting with the red eye at the center of the front body of the droid, but also gaining its undivided attention, just as it was powering up its main cannon. Greg then fired two rockets from his Rocket Launcher at the same red eye, one exploding violently outward away from he droid, and the second penetrating through the weakened armor, before exploding from the inside, ripping the massive droid apart in many pieces, the main turret being blown forward several meters before landing in the middle of the road before the super soldiers.

Just as Greg was reloading his rocket launcher, Ben noticed a group of four AAT's advance through the burning wreckage of the A-DSD down the road, and a platoon's worth of B1 and B2 droids march down the left side of the road. Turning to the left, Ben took aim for a B2 battle droid at the center of the formation with his BR, and let loose with a handful of accurate bursts of fire. After five bursts the head and chest covering were blown off, and a single shot from a sniper in the apartment complex behind them left the droid on the ground, spasming.

Ben took aim for another B2 to the left of the square formation, and fired the rest of his magazine at it in a handful of seconds, downing that droid as well, before falling back behind cover to reload. Just as he popped the ext magazine into the rifle, an explosion rang out just in front of him, followed shortly by the pitter-patter of falling dirt and debris on his armor as well as the area around him. Ben looked out above the wall to find the black smoke clinging to the ground, a massive crater where it was rising up from.

Looking to his right, Ben noticed Greg was throwing his Rocket Launcher to the ground, before taking notice of his boss looking at him quizzically, then shaking his head in disapproval. Ben nodded his head in understanding, then turned to look at Boss, how was also busy looking at each of the soldiers under his command, before averting his gaze upon the Spartan next to him.

The Republic Commando then raised his right hand to his ear and yelled into the squad-wide com frequency "Pull back into the complex Killjoy! Ben, Sev, Ruse, cover our retreat."

"Yes sir." they all replied, before Ben rose above the wall, taking aim at the exposed tank commander of an AAT, firing one burst from his BR at its head, decapitating the sickly looking nemesis.

By now, the smoke had mostly cleared, so Ben took aim for the platoon to his left and fired several bursts at a myriad of droids throughout the formation, Ruse and Sev doing the same. This downed many a droid, but the B2's proved to be formidable, and within seconds, return fire was forcing the group of three back behind cover. Ben looked back through the metal gate to see the last of the squad fall into the open doorway, before motioning for them to fall back as well.

Ben looked to this right, to see the other two in his fire team looking at him, the nodded his head. He then stood and turned in one fluid motion, firing accurately at a B2 droid that was now almost on top of them, with Sev and Ruse contributing to its fall as well. The droid was destroyed within a second's time, and the fire from the Separatists was inaccurate enough to allow them to turn and sprint back to the entrance. Once the group was at the metal gate, Ben, being at the back of the group of three, turned and, while fired from the hip in his left hand, closed the gate with his right, then turned and continued as red plasma bolts began hitting his shields.

Just as he passed through the threshold of the door of the apartment complex, a loud explosion erupted behind him, pushing him forward and slamming Ben into the wall, depleting his shields to nothing. He slumped to the floor, disoriented, but he could still hear the sound of weapon's discharges, and more explosions just beyond the open doorway.

Shaking his head, Ben stood up, turned and noticed large plumes of black smoke rising from the courtyard outside, with innumerable red bolts of plasma breaking thorough the black smoke. His allies were firing their own ordinances, from green to blue bolts of superheated matter to ballistic rounds, which also broke through the smoke cover, hopefully hitting their marks. He then moved forward, placed his rifle on the sill of a nearby blown out window and fired through the smoke where the red bolts were originating form.

This activity continued for some time, as more droid piled into the street, desperate to clear out the complex of hostiles, but the Coalition and Republic soldiers refused to leave. Occasionally, an explosion could be heard from the upper floors, and sections of the roof above Ben fell in small dust particles to indicate they were under constant fire from multiple sources. After thirty minutes of constant fighting, a single ODST squad showed up just as the droids were at the gates, and, with their distraction, the defenders were able to destroy their attackers. The ODST's filed in through the iron gate and into the complex, before leaving the supersoldiers after reporting in and taking up positions elsewhere. The fighting ceased with the sound of a Spartan Laser firing form the second story on an AAT one hundred meters down the road, resulting in a resounding explosion from the tan colored tank as the turret flew into the air, the body fracturing into several pieces and flying every which way.

Just as the dust began to settle from the most recent engagement, an ODST with scorch marks covering his armor and the top left quarter of his visor blackened came running down form an adjacent doorway, then slowed to a halt in front of Boss, saluting before saying in a, what Ben could easily identify as an old British accent, "Sir, Second Lieutenant Michael Pavlov wished for your presence on the roof."

"Thank you soldier. Think you can hold down the fort while we're gone?" Boss said neutrally as he motioned with his squad to form up while still facing the soldier.

"I'm sure of it sir." the ODST replied before stepping to the side, the squad of supersoldiers walking past in a casual pace.

With that, Killjoy squad, with boss and Ben at the lead, walked through the threshold of the door the ODST came from and into an abandoned inner hallway lacking any windows and without artificial illumination. As soon as they walked the twenty five meters of their hallway, they passed an open threshold and entered into a staircase that had three flights of complete stairs before a fourth was blown apart halfway and the fifth was completely missing.

Walking at a casual pace, the squad found itself on the second floor, where the sight of numerous soldiers in bleach white, camouflage and bright colored armor alike were either firmly set against the wall with their various weapons pointed out into the street before them or leaning against the wall, bandages crisscrossing their bodies and helmets discarded. Numerous moans and groans could be heard from the open doorways into the various rooms that were just across from the balconies or windows.

The soldiers turned to look st the supersoldiers in awe, their mouths agape, and silent whispered wondered the hallway as one spoke to another about their apparent good fortune to have theses experienced warriors fighting with them. Killjoy continued their march forward, side-stepping any body or soldier that was inadvertently in their way, and entered the adjacent hallway, where a similar situation awaited them. From there, they continued on until they reached the staircase again on the other side of the building, which had a complete staircase reaching to the roof. They marched up to the top, opened the door to the roof, and began filing out.

The roof was half destroyed, massive craters pot-marking the gravel floored roof. The small wall on the perimeter of the roof was mostly intact where it was not interrupted, with several exceptions where the adobe was chipped away from the onslaught of plasma. The various machines working to heat and cool the building, with massive fans on these machines, were largely left intact, with two exceptions where they were either completely destroyed, or the top half was been blown apart. Spread throughout the roof, two sniper teams of two lay down in strategic positions on the corners of the roof overlooking the two streets, their gaze never leaving the sights of their sniper rifles.

Beyond the building, across the cityscape before them, a plethora of fires still raged. Artillery shells still fell periodically on certain buildings, and the scene was full of fighters high in the sky fighting for control, and various VTOL's and heavy gunships from both sides either raining hell on the city below or fighting for control over each other. Half a kilometer away, Ben noticed a group of five Hornets and two Vultures fire a full salvo of their missiles or plasma cannons on a large building below them, the resulting explosion engulfing an entire city street and a fiery explosion rising high into the sky, just barely touching the bottom of the craft that created it. Elsewhere, two Mechanized Assault Flyers were firing their large red bolts of plasma on a street below, a Scorpion tank and two All Terrain Tactical Enforcer finding a fiery doom at the hover-ships hands before one was struck by four plasma torpedoes from a Wolverine and the other a Gauss round from a Cobra, both hidden with a group of their kind in a large courtyard. The two MAF's fell to the ground before exploding violently upon impact, engulfing a platoon's worth of droids and one AAT.

On the far side of the roof stood an ODST with his armor on save for his helmet. The man had dark blond hair and auburn eyes, and his height was noticeable higher than the rest of the six ODST's nearby. His weapon, an Assault Rifle, was hung low across his chest with his hands loosely gripping it, and a Rocket Launcher was clamped onto his back.

The Lieutenant looked up from the binoculars he was using to see the supersoldiers across the long roof, and motioned for them to approach. The squad of nine did so without question, and soon were standing within the circle of ODST's, waiting for orders.

He started with a heavy Slavic accent, "I don't think I need to tell you gentlemen how important holding this building is in this battle we found ourselves in. Instead, I would like to direct your attention to that sensor readout we received not five minutes ago." before pointing towards a machine on the edge of a wall that had a an image of a long line of red dots of varying sizes moving as one unit.

"That is a column of droids," he began, "and they are marching right here, right under our noses."

The Second Lieutenant then looked into the visors of the squad while saying, "I just got off the horn with the brass, and they've said all other units are occupied, leaving us on our own."

Taking a step towards them, the Second Lieutenant continued, "The only thing that can stop those droids from reaching here and leveling the entire block is your squad. I need everyone else here to hold down the building from other Separatists."

"Where do we go to cut them off sir?" Boss asked.

"There's a tunnel exit not sixty meters from the main entrance here in the basement of that building." he replied before pointing to a two story adobe house down the street, the building sporting innumerable battle injuries.

"Does the tunnel need to be intact sir?" Scorch asked hopefully.

"No Killjoy, but civilian deaths are unacceptable. There's a good chance you'll find some in the tunnel, so before you blow it, I advise you scout it out. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir." they chorused in return.

"Well go Killjoy, time is of the essence." Pavlov said urgently, motioning with his hands for the squad to depart, which they did quickly through the only doorway on the opposite side of the roof.

XXX

Inner Tunnel Network under Al Mutiah, Saleucami, Saleucami System, Sulorine Sector

"Did you have to charge head-first into that platoon of droids rather than follow my orders and stay back?"_  
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"The less droids, the better, Master." Anakin replied

"I'll be sure to tell Atroo and Threepio your opinions on their kind." Obi-Wan responded with a smirk.

"I'll take that over the loose wire jokes any day, Master." Anakin retorted.

Just as Obi-Wan was about to reply, the sound of an incoming transmission from Anakin's communicator filled their ears and echoed off the rock walls. Anakin looked down at the device to see it was his padawan's frequency.

Anakin stopped moving, picked up the communicator, and said into the small device, "You commed Snips?"

Her voice, slightly distorted with a mechanized tone to it, said over the device, "Master, there seems to be something about these Morgukai clones that we never could have expected. Not only do they use Spaarti cloning facilities, but they seem to be adding ysalamiri to the process."

Anakin quirked an eyebrow up at the strangeness of adding something like ysalamiri to the process.

"Any idea why would they be adding ysalamiri to the cloning process?", Anakin asked over the com unit.

"After reading some of the results, Master, it seems the cloning process is much, much faster. It takes up to three weeks to clone a mature warrior."

Anakin, with a dumbfounded expression on his face, said, "That's impossible Snips! It takes at least a year to grow a mature clone."

"Apparently not Master."

**Next, we get to see the continuation, and possible finale of this battle, and then we'll see operations throughout the rest of the planet. What happens after that will be big, I assure you. **


	14. Chapter 13: Pavlov's House, Part II

As a result of lack of motivation on my part, and a general feeling that this story just isn't progressing as it should, I feel it would be best if I take a hiatus and determine if this story is worth saving and continuing, or if I should try again with the premise. In the meantime, I'll try something I've been thinking abut for a while.


End file.
